End of week Hip Hop round-up 50 Cent gets competetive, Timberlake gets the nod, Fugees reunion latest and Havoc of Mob's album release

Kanye v 50 Cent
Two of the most anticipated albums of the year will be released on the same day. Yesterday Def Jam confirmed that the release date for Kanye West's third album Graduation will be September 11th, the same day as G Unit lead artist 50 Cent. This will put the rappers head to head when it comes to sales and it could actually have a knock on effect it has been speculated, where people purchasing one album will also purchase the other.The biggest selling Hip-Hop album so far this year has been TI's TI vs TIP which has to date sold 644,000 copies in just two weeks.
Timberlake gets Emmy nod
Former NSynch front man Justin Timberlake has had an extremely successful solo career so far. Winning pretty much every award there is possible for performers, the vocalist has now been nominated for an Emmy for a sketch he did on the cult American show Saturday Night Live.The song D**k in a Box which Justin Timberlake performed on the show back in December was a huge Internet success and this has obviously encouraged the nomination. The Emmys will be held on September 16th in Los Angeles.

Fugees Reunion a no-go
Talks of the Fugees working together on another album have become similar to an urban legend. We have heard all about it, but we have yet to see it. Pras, recently told Billboard magazine that the idea is now dead.

The trio, made up of Pras, Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill has been in the studio and recorded a couple of tracks which had allegedly been' unbelieveable,' but due to creative differences with Lauryn Hill, the idea to follow up their classic The Score has been scrapped.

In the interview Pras said " Me and Clef, we on the same page, but Lauryn [Hill] is in her zone, and I'm fed up with that sh*t. Here she is, blessed with a gift, with the opportunity to rock and give and she's running on some b*llshit? I'm a fan of Lauryn's but I can't respect that."

Ms Hill as the female lyricist prefers to be called nowadays has come under serious ridicule after her shows in South America have had fans demanding refunds after her lack luster performances.

It is 11 years since The Fugees released The Score and two years since they showed up on stage at The BET awards and the Dave Chepell Block Party in Brooklyn, New York.

Havoc of Mobb Deep releases solo album
Havoc, one half of the Queensbridge duo Mobb Deep has finally found time to work on the solo album he has always talked of.

The album titled The Kush will be released on indie label Nature Sounds and will hit shelves on September 18th.

The album which will feature his long time partner Prodigy, fellow G Unit label mate 40 Glocc and Atlanta based producer Nitti. Mobb Deep came under fire when they signed with 50 Cent and G Unit two years ago. Their last album Blood Money failed to sell as it was expected, only going gold worldwide.

Melanie J Cornish