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Legendary Hip-Hop group The Sugar Hill Gang, R&B veterans The Moments and the executors of the Estate of Sylvia Robinson have filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group, claiming the major label owes unpaid royalties. The lawsuit, which was filed in The Supreme Court of the State of New York, claims that Universal has been withholding royalties from the legendary label, as well as the group members of The Sugar Hill Gang and The Moments. The lawsuit states that Universal has ignored agreements with the Sugar Hill label, some which date back as far as 1969, when the company Sylvia Robinson was running was known as All Platinum Inc. All Platinum was Sylvia Robinson’s label and counted artists The Moments, The Whatnauts and Robinson herself, as featured talent on the label. S

TIM EINENKEL: First off, how does it feel to have Kay Gee back in the group? VIN ROCK: Yeah, it’s good, man. You know, we all started this group in high school basically. So, you know, we assemble ourselves, no one put us together and we’ve always been in control of what we did. So, when we lost Kay as a producer and DJ and you know, not only did we lose him from the studio perspective, we lost him from the stage perspective, as well as personally. When Kay got back in the mix it was a great thing to have an old friend back plus all of that talent. TIM EINENKEL: This is your 7th album, Anthem Inc., and you guys have been together and in the game for so long. Has the process of making the album changed? VIN ROCK: Nah, nah. Not really. Pretty much the same, you know. Kay is at

Raekwon has started off 2012 by dropping his Unexpected Victory mixtape. Originally slated for release on Christmas Day, the 17-track project features appearances from Mobb Deep, CL Smooth, Busta Rhymes, plus production from the likes of 9th Wonder, Scram Jones and Statik Selektah. In promotion for the project, Raekwon collaborated with New York-based company Mighty Healthy to release a collection of limited edition shirts bearing his name and the name of the mixtape, all positioned behind a gold microphone. Only 100 shirts were printed and made available to those who purchased a hard copy of 'Unexpected Victory.' Download the Unexpected Victory mixture here: http://www.datpiff.com/Raekwon-Unexpected-Victory-mixtape.295793.html and check out the official track list below: 1. Un

No one cares about your Best of 2011 list. It's all opinion, with the reader left unhappy when their favorite album is left off or when they don't agree with the selections the writer comes up with. That being said, this is not a Best of 2011 list. This is a list of new albums, EP's and singles that classic artists released in the last 365 days. With over 40+ releases this past year, the HIPHOPGODS were definitely putting in work. The projects below are in alphabetical order and each comes with a link to purchase the music. After all the classic work these artists have put in, it's only right to get out there and support! Armageddon http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-journal-vol.-1-rebirth/id435743340 "The Journal, Vol. 1: Rebirth" Arrested Development http://itunes.app

TIM EINENKEL: You have been in the music industry for quite a while, what keeps you going? Why do you still rap? Are the reasons you rap today, the same as when you first started out? SLIMKID3: The reason I still rap is because (aside from the fact that it's what I do for a living) things like creative writing, music, film, photography -- these are still my core passions. And they are the same passions I had when I first started out. TIM EINENKEL: LA Weekly recently named Bizarre Ride II on their list of Top 20 Greatest L.A. Rap Albums of All Time, writing: "If gangsta rap looked at life in L.A. through a grime-caked, cracked rear window, The Pharcyde took a bird's-eye view. Filled with jazzy horns, pianos and live drums instead of gunshots and squealing police sirens, their pla

On January 31, Legacy Recordings will release Giant Single: The Profile Records Rap Anthology, an incredible 2 CD set. The collection, which spans from 1981 to 1996, features Profile catalogue hits from HIPHOPGODS such as Run-DMC, Dana Dane, Rammelzee vs. K-Rob and DJ Quik, as well as mid-'90s cuts from Camp Lo, Smoothe Da Hustler, Onyx and Nine. Profile, founded by Cory Robbins and Steven Plotnicki, birthed the careers of Hip Hop icons Run-DMC, along with artists such as DJ Quik, Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock, Poor Righteous Teachers and Special Ed. In 1997, Profile merged with Arista Records. The label's catalog today is now managed by Legacy/Sony Records. Official track listing is below: Disc 1 1. Genius Rap by DR. JECKYLL & MR. HYDE 2. Whip Rap by DISCO FOUR 3. Beat Bo