Mike Beck
Photo: Heavy Bank

Next week, a number of New York rappers will hold a benefit concert in the aftermath of the death of up-and-coming rapper Mike Beck, who was gunned down on October 30 in Brooklyn, New York. Former Diplomats member Hell Rell, Grafh, Littles, Saigon, Maino, Papoose and Webstar are just a few of the people who plan to come out and support their fallen soldier, with proceeds going to Beck's young son.

"Mike Beck was a good friend of mine outside of music," Maino said. "It's sad because it's hard making the transition from the streets to the music industry, so this could have been me five years ago when I didn't have a deal. When I was coming up I fought the same demons trying to convert from one lifestyle, which was my street upbringing, to the next, that being entertainment ... living right and steering clear of the streets, roadblocks and downfalls."

The show, which takes place Monday at the Imperial nightclub in New York City, will be hosted by radio DJ Kay Slay and Fuse TV personality Dee Vasquez. Prior to the lineup of artists slated to perform in Beck's honor, a number of speakers are expected to address the ongoing violence that continues to plague the community.

"I felt doing this show was the least I could do for a friend," said Maino who alongside club promoter Littles organized the event, told MTV News in a statement. "I'm raising money to send his 10-year-old son to college. What's the point in me making it out of the same web he was fatally trapped in if I can't give back? This is what real people are supposed to do: give back.

"I met Mike Beck for the first time when he performed at the 2006 [Urban] DVD Awards, an event I put together," said Maino. "Mike reached out to me on many other occasions through many good friends, but timing didn't allow us to build the friendship I know he built with some of my closest friends. Once I heard the news, me, Maino and a friend of ours agreed it was a must. We had to do something for his son."

Rapper Saigon echoed the same sentiments: "I'm just doing whatever I can to support a fallen comrade. He was a good brother. Anything to help support his family, I'm all for it. R.I.P. to the homie."

Beck was a member of the Fat Joe-associated K.A.R. (Kill All Rats) group and an aspiring rapper who was well known in New York's underground circuit. News of his death sent shockwaves throughout the industry.

"Rest in peace. He was a real dude, Mike Beck," rapper Noreaga said via Twitter. "I did records for him n he ate in my crib, n drank too. F---ed up my weekend. R.I.P. Rest in peace Mike Beck, our running challenge is now dedicated to his memory."

Fat Joe also remembered his friend on Twitter, simply writing, "R.I.P. Mike Beck!!!!!"

After a five-year stint in upstate New York's Coxsackie Correctional Facility, where he met Maino, Beck pursued a career in hip-hop on the advice of then-manager Bill Blass, who died shortly after Beck's release. The young rapper aligned himself with K.A.R., most notably rapper Pistol Pete, who, along with Fat Joe, released the independent street album K.A.R., which featured appearances by Jadakiss, DJ Khaled, Sheek Louch and more.

This summer MTV caught up with Beck, who came out to support Maino on the set of his video for "A Million Bucks," where the Brooklynite expounded on his sound.

"We doing music. At the end of the day, people gotta recognize what we doing and respect what we doing. 'Cause we doing music," he said. "We ain't just doing the battle stuff. We doing respectable stuff. Music, it brings emotion. It brings feeling. So they gotta respect what we doing."

• Maino
• N.O.R.E.
• Fat Joe

Fat Joe
Photo: EMI

This Week's Main Pick

Street King: Fat Joe

Holding It Down For: The BX

Independent Album: Jealous Ones Still Envy 2 (J.O.S.E. 2)

Real Spit: Joey Crack is already home. While standing in front of the project building where he grew up, Fat Joe was interrupted by one of the residents, demanding, "Take a picture of me and Joey." The elderly lady continued, "I knew Joey a for a long time. Get me and Joey together."

With a grin, Joe stood beside the woman while the camera rolled (the lady confused our video camera for a still camera).

"This building is my life," Joe, born Joseph Cartagena, continued. "This is where I was born and raised. I never thought I would leave this building. I never wanted to. In fact, I had too much money still living in this building. My girl was like, 'We gotta move or I'm leaving you.' This is my home right here. It will always be my home no matter what. Whatever house I buy, this is always my home. This is where I'm from. This is what makes Joe Crack.

"I grew up my whole life here," Joe added, moving the conversation to the benches that sit in front of the building. "I got pictures on this bench when I'm 2 years old, just standing on this bench. I got pictures right on these benches. N---as tried to kill me on these benches a million times. I had to hop over the fence. N---as just pulled up."

Thank goodness Joe survived. He's entertained his following since 1993 and, over the past decade, he's been able to keep a consistent presence with hit records like "Lean Back" and "Make It Rain." Last week he put out album number nine, Jealous Ones Still Envy 2 (J.O.S.E. 2).

"The thing about this album, it's real music. It's not like a mixtape — I'm making real music," he said. "Records your mom would have sung back in the days while cleaning the house, and you a little shorty looking at your mom singing 'Congratulations' or 'Music Is My Life' or even 'Aloha' — it's crazy."

Joe started promoting the album earlier this year releasing his single with Akon, "One." However, differences with the record label forced the LP to be pushed back.

"I'm the king of not pointing fingers," Joe said. "I feel you gotta be a man whether you win or lose. I hate people who have bumpy starts or not the success they used to, and start pointing fingers at the record label. I take it on the chin. I'm a stand-up guy. I had conflicts with the record label — let's not say the workers, the staff, they good people, but the guys up top. We had it out a few times with this project right here."

Joints to Check For

» "Okay Okay." "My man Drew produced that," Joe explained. "I wanted to go in with that hard body — give that traditional Joe Crack, that traditional Fat Joe. That 'Okay, okay, oh-kay!' is firing a warning. I go in hard on that thing right there. It is what it is. It's warning them, 'Yeaahhhh! Okay, okay, okay.' It's describing my life in the X where I come from."

» "Put You in the Game." "It's that real — I try to get witty with the flow, the lyrics. It's produced by Schife out of Palm Beach — incredible new producer out of Palm Beach," Joe explained. "T-Pain does what he does. Every woman wants to be put in the game. That's just a feel-good record. I'm talking about how I seen her standing on the sidelines. I want to put her in the game. Sometimes girls don't realize they the next Kimora Lee, the next Sanaa Lathan. It's just a matter of somebody putting them in the game."

» "Congratulations." " 'Congratulations' — I had to do this joint. [It felt like] Harlem, 2 in the morning, that two-step vibe — that feel-good vibe. You never heard me flow like that before. That's what I try to do. My new high is changing my flows. So much you could do, nine albums, Terror Squad albums, Big Pun albums — how could I do something new? I'm trying to create new flows from me. It's about, 'Everybody wants to be famous, but be careful what you wish for. Congratulations, you're famous, but now you gotta cut your hair off like Britney.' It's a lot that comes with living your life under the media."

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

• Mixtape Daily Video: Lil Boosie, Big Gates, Young Jeezy More

• Fat Joe

Fat Joe
Photo: Johnny Nunez/ WireImage

NEW YORK — Before he retires — which won't be anytime soon — Fat Joe has one big goal.

"My job is to make a record that is gonna stop the world from spinning," he said. "If you really wanna know what Fat Joe is after, Fat Joe is trying to make the ultimate best record in hip-hop history that will stop Earth from rotating. I wanna make something that's gonna make the biggest nonbeliever on the planet Earth say, 'Oh, my God. What's up with this dude?' I'm after the undeniable."

On Tuesday, Fat Joe released his ninth solo LP, J.O.S.E. 2. We caught up with the veteran as he drove in his old neighborhood in the Bronx on the way to Trinity Avenue.

"I couldn't sleep last night," he said. "You gotta understand, I do this from the heart. With me, it's all about making great music. Just to know my fans, who have been my fans forever, get to hear the new Fat Joe for me, it gets me real excited. ... I wanna make the people think, 'This music is crazy. This album is crazy.' I'm just like a little kid, like I just started."

Joe said every time he puts out an LP, he wants to make sure he is in New York.

"I gotta be in New York for that," he said. "If you're anywhere else, you're crazy. This is my biggest market, this is my home. I gotta celebrate with my people here at the end of the day."

Joe is looking forward to all his fans — and definitely the ones in his hometown — to embrace J.O.S.E. 2 like they have with some of his hometown peers' work.

"Fabolous' album was crazy. Jay-Z's album was crazy. Even Maino dropped, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes — it made me feel great," he said. "I'm glad people finally dropping hot albums. That's the best part about it: Everybody is consistent with their work. I'm really proud f my work. I'm really, really proud of my album. I can't wait for a fan who hasn't heard it."

• Fat Joe

50 Cent and Fat Joe
Photo: Harris Bebey/ Randy Brooke/ FilmMagic/ WireImage

50 Cent's comedic assault against longtime nemesis Fat Joe continued with a new video released on ThisIs50.com Wednesday (September 30). 50 first posted a video of himself being rushed to the hospital and crying in his son's arms, followed by another clip in which he addresses the camera, with a bandage around his head and Band-Aids on his face, crying because he was "hurt" by listening to Joe's forthcoming album, J.O.S.E. 2.

"I listened to Fat Joe's records, it hurt," a teary eyed 50 says in the second video. "Some people didn't listen, and look what happened: Young Buck tried to ride his motorcycle [while] listening to Fat Joe, and look what happened!"

Video footage of Buck crashing his motorcycle was shown with Fat Joe's "Cupcakes" edited in. Joe's music was also edited into various Internet blooper clips showing skateboarders crashing, a heavyset woman falling off of a table, a man with a huge afro hitting himself in the head with a pair of nunchucks, and another man crashing his motorcycle into a parked car.

"Fat Joe's record is the worst thing that ever happened to hip-hop," a crying 50 adds. "I love hip-hop. It's because his music sucks so bad it's gonna kill people!"

50 then laughs to let people know the obvious — he wasn't really crying.

On Monday night, 50 commenced his latest mockery of Joe by having Tony Yayo tweet that the leader of the G-Unit had been rushed to the hospital.

Then on ThisIs50.com, a faux story was posted saying, "After a long weekend of activities — including performing, throwing a festival in his old neighborhood in Queens and preparing for his upcoming Thisis50 concert — 50 Cent has definitely been working hard.

"This afternoon while in his Manhattan offices, employees say that 50 Cent was listening to Fat Joe's new album, J.O.S.E. 2, when all of a sudden, he collapsed! An ambulance was called and by the time they arrived, 50 Cent regained consciousness and was complaining of blurred vision and a severe migraine. 50 Cent was rushed to Mt. Sinai hospital at 4:26 p.m.

"Doctors say after performing a Cat Scan and EKG there seems to be some damage to his auditory cortex, which is the region of the brain that is responsible for processing sound."

Fan were told to "Stay tuned for more info ..."

Fat Joe responded via Twitter, writing, "Tell 50 to get off my d--- already. He was sick that my album is SO Hot. That real music, not that wack sh-- him and clowns are making!!"

• 50 Cent
• Fat Joe

Michael Jackson in 1990
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

Just hours after news broke that Michael Jackson had died of cardiac arrest, several artists — Sheryl Crow, Snoop Dogg, Timbaland and Fat Joe — and two reverends — Al Sharpton and Rev Run — called in to MTV to talk about the singer's life and legacy for the show, "Michael Jackson: A Tribute."

"I knew Michael since the mid-'70s," Al Sharpton recalled. "But we got tight in the '80s because by then James Brown had kind of adopted me as a son, and Michael was a James Brown fanatic. He used to always come to see James Brown ... I remember though, the thing that was kind of spooky to me this afternoon, I remember I got a call in the middle of the night before James Brown's last funeral, and it was the mortician saying that Michael wanted to visit the funeral home. ... He viewed the body and we convinced him to stay for the funeral and he spoke at the funeral.

"He talked about how he hopes that as a legend James Brown will get the due in death he never got in life, and I felt the same way about Michael. I hope now the genius and humanity of Michael Jackson gets its due."

Timbaland, who sounded very upset when he spoke on the show, said, "He was just a fabulous guy. Phenomenal. I watched him as a kid and I was like, 'Man, he works very hard.' His music was incredible. Everybody from Chris Brown to everybody who started dancing — he influenced all of that."

Fat Joe called in to remember the effect that Jackson's music had on him in his youth. "This is probably [among] the top three worst days of my life. MJ — you know I'm a gangsta rapper so we always got that hard edge, but at the end of the day, the king is the king.

"I can go down the list: there wouldn't be no Usher, there wouldn't be no Chris Brown. There wouldn't be nobody without MJ. There wouldn't be no Justin. He was just harmony on Earth. I never think MJ ever did anything wrong in his life. He was just a beautiful soul on this earth."

Rev Run and Snoop Dogg both called in to the show and recalled Jackson's strong sense of pride in his career and with his fans. "The thing that went through my mind was that he lived so big. He just worked it so hard. He was such a big imagination. He danced, he sang, he pushed so hard to entertain us," Rev said. "He was so driven that it was really amazing. I think the best thing that Michael will leave is his ability to captivate people. He captivated us."

Snoop Dogg added, "I feel like his music will never die and his spirit will never die, because he influenced so many if us. He gave us a lot of hope that we feel like we can be big. He was very inspiring and up close and personal with his fans. That to me was special. That's one of the things that I loved about Mike. When I got a chance to meet him, that's the feeling and spirit that I got from him."

MTV will be paying tribute to MJ throughout the weekend with music videos, exclusive performances and calls and tweets from celebrity admirers and friends. For everything we've got on the life, career and passing of the legendary entertainer, visit "Michael Jackson Remembered."

Share your Michael Jackson memories by uploading video and comments to Your.MTV.com or joining the discussion below.

• Michael Jackson's Video Legacy
• Remembering Michael Jackson
• Michael Jackson: A Tribute
• A Celebration Of Michael Jackson On MTV

• Michael Jackson: A Life In Photos
• Fans Mourn The Loss Of Music Icon Michael Jackson

• Michael Jackson
• Fat Joe
• Timbaland
• Snoop Dogg

Tim Kash and Rick Ross
Photo: MTV News

Rick Ross lined up almost all of 50 Cent's musical foes for a remix of "Mafia Music." Ja Rule, the Game and Fat Joe all send ill will toward the G-Unit on the song, which hit the Net over the weekend.

"I f---ed you up once, f---ed you twice, and you still talking sh--," Rule raps on the record. "Curly, get off my di--."

Fat Joe threatens the Unit and references the infamous 50 Cent chain-snatching incident in Africa, when a fan jumped onstage and grabbed Fif's bling.

"Still went to Africa, still wore the big chain," Joe raps. "Where you got robbed at, n---a, on the same stage."

Ross gets really personal on the song, name-checking 50's son in the song and claiming to have the boy's mother in a hotel suite.

"I put a million on it, this pu--- don't want it," Ross declares. "Show up in his 'hood with the wolves by the morning."

There is one glaring omission on the "Mafia Music" remix: estranged Unit member Young Buck.

"Young Buck is my homie," Ross told MTV News recently in New York. "I ain't even ask Young Buck to get on the remix, because I'm a business man. I understand the position Young Buck is in. ... I wouldn't even ask him to be a part of that for his business' sake. Handle your business, Buck. Whatever you need from me, I got you. Other than that, we'll ride later."

Ross' Deeper Than Rap drops April 21.

• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)
• Game
• Fat Joe
• Ja Rule
• 50 Cent

Fat Joe
Photo: Johnny Nunez/ WireImage

Fat Joe feels as royal as Eddie Murphy in "Coming to America" every time he steps foot in the motherland.

"Africa, what a lovely place," Joe beamed of the continent. He performs out there several times a year. The Bronx native's new single, "One," features one of Joe's peers who is adored in Africa: Akon.

"It's feeling great, man," Joe said of the response he's been getting from the record. "The video looks beautiful. Akon, it was an honor to work with him. We've been friends for years and featured on tracks together. We finally got our own record together. He's the King of Africa. I'm the Prince of Africa. I get nothing but love from Africa. The people are amazing. It was a natural thing for me and 'Kon to get together and make a song."

"One" is all about finding that special soul mate, and Joe said he looked to his happy marriage for inspiration.

"It's inspired by life a lot," he described. "As I listen to it, I think about the relationship with my wife and how we came a long way. At the same time, it's everybody's life. It's the working man's life. It's related to everybody. Everybody feels that way. We all want somebody."

Joe said the key to marriage is working with your spouse to grow.

"A lot of work," he said. "Anybody who's successful a long number of years, it took a lot of work, perseverance to not quit, to not give up on each other and say, 'Yo, we love each other. We're going to be together forever.' Everybody that gets married hopes to be in love and be together forever, but you gotta work. It's real work. It's great, though."

Joe's work ethic is also strong in his career. His new album, Jealous Ones Still Envy 2 (J.O.S.E. 2), due May 19, is the sequel to his highest-selling LP to date.

"This record has so many hits, I promise you," he said. "People still deny me, so I just hit them with a new thing I called 'force fields.' You can't stop them, you can't break them."

T-Pain appears on "Put You in the Game," and "Hey Joe" is an all-out gladiator rap record with assaulting lyrics and a wicked beat to match. Meanwhile, Raekwon the Chef checks in on "Ice Cream," a sex anthem of sorts. That record shouldn't be confused with Rae's '90s classic "Ice Cream." They don't sound anything alike.

Joe also introduces some new talent on the album, like O.Z., along with Lil' Kim, Ron Browz and Lil Wayne.

• Fat Joe
• Akon

DJ Infamous at Atlanta's Velvet Room on Sunday
Photo: MTV News

ATLANTA — DJ Infamous, congratulations. You are officially big-time. Last night, the jock had a coronation of sorts. The party at ATL hot spot the Velvet Room — Hotlanta's place to be on Sunday nights — was billed as DJ Infamous' fourth-anniversary party to celebrate his stint on radio station V-103. Instead, it felt like a declaration to his city that he really is a big deal.

Young Jeezy, Fonzworth Bentley, Fat Joe, Diamond D, DJ Khaled, DJ Drama, DJ Don Cannon, Jim Jones, Rich Boy, porn star Mr. Marcus, producer Ron Browz, singer Trey Songz and Playaz Circle were among those who attended. And Inf got most of his star-studded guest lineup to perform.

Packed times 10 is the only way to describe the Velvet Room on Sunday. At points, you literally could not move because it was so crowded. Up in the VIP room, Infamous — who has made a name for himself nationally in the past year by releasing mixtapes with the likes of Rick Ross, Bow Wow and Young Jeezy — took the mic and began introducing his supporters.

"Everybody is going to perform," the DJ promised, which got a real chuckle from Fat Joe. Joey Crack took the mic, right after Khaled did his part live from "I'm So Hood."

From his seat in the VIP section overlooking the crowd in the club, Joe started with "Make It Rain," then went into "Lean Back" and his current single, "One."

"If you gotta ride or die, bi---, put one [finger] in the sky," he said. "This [song] is gonna be so big in America. We call this hit mania. Infamous, happy anniversary."

Next was Ron Browz's turn to rep. Browz, who stood on a coffee table next to Joe, held a bottle of Moët Rose in one hand and the mic in the other.

"I'm jumpin' out the window on this one," he began singing, bringing out his current single.

The house DJ then turned everyone's attention to Jim Jones, who was in a whole 'nother part of VIP.

Jones politely declined to perform until he had drinks for his section. Yeah, we know the order, bottles of rosé champagne and some bottles of water. Even if you didn't have his lyrics from "Pop Champagne" memorized, he announced his prerequisite on the mic.

"I ain't got no champagne," Jones said. "Who got that pink liquid?"

Shawty Lo took the mic while the Harlem Diplomat waited for his fuel.

Lo pulled out all of his hits, mostly in succession: "Foolish," "Dunn Dunn," current single "Supplier" and another classic "Dey Know." The crowd still responds to all the right parts in the song that call for them to sing along. Lo's made his own waves on the Atlanta club-scene circuit recently. Two nights ago, he and T.I. made amends for their long-standing musical feud by appearing onstage together at Tip's club, Crucial.

Now, back to Mr. Jones. The wait staff got him and his crew right with their drinks. Time to perform. Jim hit the people with "We Fly High," "Na Na Nana Na Na" and "Pop Champagne." Jones then asked the DJ to play Jamie Foxx's "Blame It (On the Alcohol)."

"Ladies, if you're tryin'a get a superstar tonight, take your pick. It's a lot in here," Jones said as Foxx's club smash played.

Next up was Young Jeezy. The Snowman had a paid gig out of town but was able to make it back to surprise Infamous. Jeezy's club battle cry "Who Dat" tore through the speakers, and he followed up with pieces of "Don't Know You," "Bottom of the Map" and "Crazy World."

"I came to party," Jeezy said with a smile on his face and a bottle in his hand. "I don't wanna perform. What's up?"

Inf and the gang kept things going until a little after 4 a.m.

Besides spinning on the radio and heading on an international tour with Don Cannon, Infamous has a mixtape with Jim Jones called Risky Business that drops any day now. Inf is also preparing to work with Young Jeezy on a mixtape that showcases Mr. 17.5 as well as Young's CTE Family.

• DJ Infamous Celebrates His Anniversary

• Young Jeezy
• Fat Joe
• Shawty Lo
• Trey Songz
• Jim Jones

Kanye West
Photo: Gareth Cattermole/ Getty Images

The hip-hop community was one of, if not the cross section of people most vocal about their diligent support of Barack Obama. For many, including 18-year-old Soulja Boy Tell'em, 36-year-old Busta Rhymes, not to mention Juelz Santana, Maino, Bow Wow and Nas, Tuesday marked their first time voting. Others, such as Diddy, Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z, worked tirelessly both online and in person, encouraging people to get out to the polls. Young Jeezy made a tremendous record called "My President," while Will.I.Am wrote a trio of proudly pro-Obama tracks. Their faith paid off when Obama was announced the president-elect.

"Obama!" Fat Joe yelled, watching the news of the Illinois senator's win from his home in Miami. Joe was shaking in his chair like a little kid. "That Latino vote!"

"It's just incredible to know that Barack Obama is our president," Usher told MTV News. "Can I say this? The coolest sh-- ever!"

Kanye West acknowledged the win on his blog, posting an image of the senator under the headline "Hi Mom, Obama Won!"

"The vision of the hip-hop generation and its young people is in full and glorious effect tonight," Russell Simmons said in a statement released to MTV News Tuesday night. "While many older Americans, who marched and struggled so hard so Senator Obama could run for president of the United States, never dared to believe in his candidacy's real potential, young people, particularly the hip-hop community, had faith, and their imagination became our reality.

"Obama's election as president is a beautiful testament to the American collective consciousness that is flowering," the statement continued. "This more loving consciousness will be necessary to protect us from some of our hurtful human choices and tendencies. We will need it to create balance with the constantly emerging advances in technology so, going forward, we can use these advances in a positive way to lift up Mother Earth and all her inhabitants."

"This is my proudest day as an American," Nick Cannon said via e-mail. "We have elected a leader that represents change and unity. Barack Obama has carved his place in history as a true beacon of hope!"

Even artists from outside the country were eager to share their reactions. "I am ecstatic!" Estelle told us in an e-mail. "I just got the news arriving in the U.K. I'm so proud of Americans for making that change happen!!! Let's go towards a great new future!!!!"

Rick Ross has been persevering through the tragic loss of his friend and business partner record exec Shakir Stewart for the past few days, but he found hope once again through the election results. He was so pleased and overwhelmed with Obama's win on Tuesday, he was at a very rare loss for words.

"I'm just ... to be honest, I'm speechless," he said. "I think we all should be. It's time for action. I'm one of the people that really think life can be a mind game at times. To see this obstacle that us, as men of color, have overcome. ... There are a lot of mind games that people played on us, or we used as an excuse for not being successful. I think the picture that Barack will paint for black males will be phenomenal. [The world] is finnin' to see us as being compassionate, as far as being leaders, as far as having the potential to be great as president."

The Boss also commended Obama's acceptance speech.

"He showed his level of class," Ross opined. "He commended John McCain. He thanked his team, his political adviser for putting together maybe the best campaign in the history of the presidential race. I would say he has the support of the people. One of the lines that touched me the most was when he said it doesn't make sense for Wall Street to be on top and Main Street suffering more than ever. That's the nerve of the problem in the United States for the past few years."

"My president is black," Jeezy triumphantly told MTV News via e-mail upon hearing of the Obama victory. The Atlanta native — who, as recently as Sunday, was on the phone working with the Obama camp to encourage registered voters to get out to the polls — was going out to celebrate.

Jeezy has a video for "My President" coming out in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, Nas dropped a mini song called "Election Night" on Tuesday. He recorded it in the early morning of November 4 while on tour in Norway. Will.I.Am will release his latest Obama song and video, "It's a New Day," on Wednesday (November 5).

MTV News was on the ground in all 50 states to cover this historic election, and now we want to hear from you! Share your voting experience and your reaction to the results in the comments area below, upload video at yourhere.mtv.com, or text VOTE to 66333 with your first name, age, state and comment.

• Stars Celebrate Barack Obama's Victory
• Election 2008 In 60 Seconds
• Election 2008: The Choice Is Made

• Kanye West
• Usher
• Young Jeezy
• Fat Joe
• Nick Cannon

Lil Wayne
Photo: Walik Goshorn

DJ and Artists: DJ Green Lantern with Royce Da 5'9" and Grafh

Representing: Street-level lyrical tyranny

Mixtapes: The Bar Exam 2 and The Oracle 2

411: It's been awhile since we doubled up, but your boy Green Lantern has been a workhorse. Not only has he been touring the world with Nas and holding down his Sirius Satellite Radio show, he's also been producing and obviously in the lab creating mixtapes. Two scoops this week.

First off, Grafh's sequel to The Oracle. Three years ago, Green and Grafh went in for part one, and the result was definitely a creative fireball that should have gotten more recognition. The second main pick this week is The Bar Exam 2. The first Bar Exam, made by Royce Da 5'9", DJ Premier and Statik Selektah, was labeled a classic.

Green was supposed to be involved in the first B.E. but couldn't make it happen due to scheduling conflicts. The two did carve out time and created a ton of chaos for Bar Exam 2. "I will do to your momma what the KKK wants to do to Obama," Royce raps on "Heat to the Streets." As you can imagine, nothing is sacred on this disc.

Joints To Check For

» "Gun Music" (from The Bar Exam 2). "Can we talk about that song in America?" Royce asked with a grin. "That song is gonna be banned in 73 states. I'm sure that's not possible, but 73 states. I don't care. Basically what I'm doing on the song is saying whatever I wanna say. Hopefully, nobody gets offended, because most of the time, I'm just playing. I'm just a fun-loving guy. Green Lantern produced it. He sent me five records. I sent him five records back in one day. That's how I do."

» "Ignorant Sh--" freestyle (from The Bar Exam 2). "It's basically over the 'Ignorant Ish' beat," Royce said. "I had my man pull up the beat, and I rapped for the entire length of the beat. That's standard for Bar Exam projects. The first Bar Exam, I had seven-minute freestyles, five-minute freestyles. I just go off from beginning to end. The entire project, once Green came in and put his stamp on it, his pullbacks and his scratches, it made it epic. Thank you very much."

» "Reservoir Dogs Freestyle" (from The Oracle 2). "I got a joint, I spazzed on the 'Reservoir Dogs' beat," Graf bragged. "Bodied it. Nobody can rap on that again. Jay-Z, no. Say goodnight. Classic."

» "Climb Up Again" (from The Oracle 2). "That's a tribute to my dudes," the Queens MC said. "One of my guys gotta go in and do a lot of [jail] time. I really addressed that scenario on the record. It's a lot to my joints."

Don't Sleep: Other Notable Selections This Week

» DJ Diggz , DJ Rated R and Ty Nitty - The Nitty Files
» DJ Drama and Ron Artest - Kings of Queens (Gangsta Grillz)
» Evil Empire and Gucci Mane - Gucci La Flare
» DJ Lazy K - Street Treats 8
» DJ Nice , Kingpin and Max B - Slave to the Wavvve
» Lloyd Banks - Return of the PLK
» Tony Yayo - S.O.D.

'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar

» 112's Slim (featuring Ryan Leslie) - "Good Lovin' "
» 50 Cent - "Get Up"
» Beyoncé - "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
» Cam'ron - "Come See Killa"
» M.I.A. (featuring Jay-Z) - "Boyz" remix
» Plies - "Put It on Ya"
» Statik Selektah (featuring State Property) - "All 2gether Now"

Celeb Faves

Last week in London, Will.I.Am said he was confused. In this day where music has just as much (or even more) play online as on the radio, the producing MC said he wasn't sure exactly what an album or a song is anymore. He's definitely trying to come up with his own definition, though.

Will was in the U.K. working on the new Black Eyed Peas LP, as well as showing up to address reporters during an event called Nokia Remix. Nokia launched their new all-in-one phone, the 5800 Xpress Music. The device makes calls, plays music and videos, sends texts and surfs the Web, among other features. The company also announced its digital-music service, Comes With Music.

"We need a different type of digital store," the BEP founder said. "iTunes isn't enough. Nokia stepping up is fresh. Nokia got lock on — how many phones in the world? I travel the world. Everywhere I go, there's more Nokia phones than anywhere else."

As far as the path he's taking on his group's next project, the Los Angeles native said, "It's gonna be BEP stuff. A little more punk-meets-dance-meets-electronic."

The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground

Last week, Common gave his stamp of approval on Kanye West's singing throughout the upcoming 808s and Heartbreak. This week, we have the King of the Auto-Tune himself chiming in. T-Pain said he's been working with West on the project, and he also gives it a thumbs-up.

"I co-sign his whole album. I just flew in last night from Hawaii, working," Pain said recently on the set of Ciara's "Go Girl" video. "His whole album is crazy, and it's definitely a different kind of Kanye. I mean, as far as 'Love Lockdown' goes, he did that whole thing himself. He just had me in mind. 808s is really all Kanye. I'm just here to keep it from [sounding] adult contemporary." ...

Fat Joe isn't thinking about any hip-hop verses — new or old — coming at him. He's been out in Africa and other parts of the world on tour, trying to stack his bread. When he gets back to the States, Crack is going to be working on his new album.

"I'm doing something rare," he said with a smile while visiting MTV News last week. "I'm taking my time with this album. I'm just picking beats. So far, it's crazy, man. I'm just walking my dogs, making sure I'm picking these beats right, and I'm gonna go for it in a super-major way. I'm trying to come out with four smashes. I got eight songs for the album already. Two of them are those outta-here joints. Nothing you can do. You know when you hear a song on the radio and the first time you hear it, you be like, 'This guy might have one'? When you get that first reaction? I got some of those sitting, waiting. I feel like it's survival of the fittest. I've been around so long — 'What could Fat Joe do that he hasn't done yet?' It's about chasing history for me. Putting up these hits.

"Right now, it's hard," he added. "Akon did something for me. I teamed with these producers called the Incredibles. Ron Browz gave me a phenomenal joint. The kid Infamous from [Lil Wayne's] 'Mr. Carter,' he gave me a joint. These producers are going in that treasure chest, like, 'Let's give Joe this one.' I hear 'em, and I'm like, 'Wooooooo!' "

Joe's last LP, The Elephant in the Room, featured his hip-hop idol, KRS-One. So where will Joe go after rapping alongside his hero? For the new LP, he's amped to have his good friend Weezy F. Baby along for the ride.

" 'Who dat said they gonna beat Lil Wayne?' " he began rapping. "Ain't no magic like working with Lil Wayne in the studio. Ain't nobody seeing this guy. He's a rock star."

The Terror Squad Don has heard some of Tha Carter IV and is so proud of his brother in arms.

"Lil Wayne, don't bet against him right now!" Joe cautioned. "Don't bet against this guy ever right now. He calls me in the middle of the night: 'Come to the studio.' I get there, this n---a pressed play, and everything he played was super-duper phenomenal, number-one [smash]. He's singing, 'So I went to get her in my spaceship.' Craziest thing you ever heard in your life. They compared him a lot to Jay-Z, and you could see where he was influenced. But after this next album — I'm not saying he's the best rapper of all time, [but] you can't compare him to any rapper in the world. Because no rapper has done what he's about to do. That's crazy! He's a rock star, man. Hit mania!

"His new album, he's a rock star," Fat Joe continued. "He has rock hits. You won't understand what I'm saying till you hear it. Coldplay, Fall Out Boy, everybody gotta get outta here." ...

A collaboration that seems almost as improbable as Beanie Sigel and Travis Barker (the two did some work together before Barker's recent plane crash) is Sig and Mos Def. On the low, we heard that the duo are making a mixtape together.

Beans wasn't too forthcoming when we asked about it, though.

"It might be," he said with a smile. "I learned in this business to just keep your mouth shut and do what you supposed to do. If you give people too much, they tend to hold onto it. But we gonna do some things. Expect some things from Beanie Sigel and Mos Def.

"Mos, that's my man," Mack Mittens added. "We're talking about a few things. We've been talking about some album stuff, some movie stuff."

Meanwhile, Beanie's State Property sibling, Peedi Crakk, has officially shot down rumors that his first solo album (released solo album, that is — he recorded two while signed to Roc-A-Fella) will be dedicated to dissing Jay-Z. Peedi put up video blogs saying that the title of his record would be referring to Hov in a very disrespectful manner.

"The Camel Face Hunting Season joint?" Peedi said. "I would never name my album Camel Face Hunting Season. It was something on the Internet that somebody said was gonna be my album [title]. I found it amusing, started to toy with it. But we was just playing around with it. Fans don't look forward to me beefing. They look forward to the uptempo party joints. The album is A Night in the Life, on Amalgam Digital. I'm gonna invest more energy into what I really do. I smoke Camel cigarettes."

For other artists featured in Mixtape Monday, check out Mixtape Mondays Headlines.

• Mixtape Monday Video: T-Pain, Kanye West, Fat Joe & More

• T-Pain
• Kanye West
• Fat Joe
• Lil Wayne

Stars Descend On The VH1 Hip Hop Honors Red Carpet

• Busta Rhymes
• Kid Rock
• Cypress Hill
• De La Soul
• Eve

Kanye West, Alicia Keys & More Heat Up Hot 97 Summer Jam In New Jersey

• Kanye West
• Alicia Keys
• Flavor Flav
• Lil Wayne
• T-Pain

MTV.com Exclusive: Fat Joe

• Fat Joe

On The Set Of Keyshia Cole's Video For "Let It Go"

• Keyshia Cole
• Fat Joe
• Missy Elliott

Sucker Free on MTV: Winter 2007

• Chris Brown
• Lloyd
• Styles
• Jadakiss
• Just Blaze

Fashion Check: Hoodies

• Jay-Z
• Pharrell Williams
• Lil Wayne
• Clipse
• Fat Joe

Best of 2006: The Red Carpet

• Fall Out Boy
• Beyoncé
• Gwen Stefani
• Gavin Rossdale
• Sean Paul

The Game And Fat Joe In NYC

• Fat Joe
• Game

Fat Joe, Kanye, Snoop, The Killers, More At 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards Red Carpet

• Kanye West
• Snoop Dogg
• Pharrell Williams
• Gnarls Barkley
• Rihanna

2006 EMA Red Carpet

• Juliette & the Licks
• Diddy
• Kanye West
• Snoop Dogg
• Fat Joe