50 Cent
50 Cent's Pal Ordered To Pay Damages To Ex
An associate of 50 Cent has been ordered to pay $30,000 to a woman he allegedly beat up during a fight at the rapper's Connecticut mansion.
Shana Chin, 24, filed suit against her ex-boyfriend Dwayne McKenzie following an argument that reportedly turned violent in May 2008.
McKenzie, who was living with the In Da Club hitmaker at the time of the incident, is accused of choking and slapping Chin when she confronted him about rumors he'd been cheating on her.
The case went to court earlier this year (10) and on Thursday (08Apr10), a Waterbury Superior Court Judge ruled in Chin's favor and awarded her damages.
McKenzie had previously been told to take a violence education program, according to AllHipHop.com.
Minaj Fires Manager
Lil Wayne's rap protegee Nicki Minaj has fired her manager after three years together.
The hip-hop star terminated her working relationship with Debbie Antney, boss of Mizay Entertainment, in a brief letter earlier this month (Apr10), although the reason for her dismissal has not been revealed.
Antney was then served with a cease-and-desist notice, banning her from conducting any business on Minaj's behalf.
She tells Hip Hop Weekly magazine, "I received a letter, which was (a) suspension. The next letter that came in was a cease and desist in doing all business with Nicki Minaj from Nicki's attorney."
But the manager, mother of rising rapper Wacka Flocka Flame, insists she has no hard feelings towards the Young Money group member.
She adds, "I love Nicki. I wish her the most success. It's not about the music, she's like one of my children... I wish her no harm, only much success."
The news comes just days after Minaj pulled out of a planned tour with Rihanna and Ke$ha.
Kraftwerk Gets Dre's Creative Juices Flowing
Hip-Hop Legend Dr. Dre has been turning to 1970s electronica pioneers Kraftwerk for inspiration as he completes work on his long-awaited album Detox.
The rap icon is putting the finishing touches on the follow-up to 1999 release 2001, and recently revealed the first single will be a track called Under Pressure featuring Jay-Z.
But Dre admits he's been listening to a completely different genre of music to help fuel his creativity during the lengthy process.
He tells Reuters, "I've been listening to a lot of old '60s and '70s music. Things like Kraftwerk, and Parliament Funkadelic. I've really been listening to a lot of Kraftwerk.
"Kraftwerk had a really big inspiration on the beginning of hip-hop. My tastes change with the season. Right now it's Kraftwerk. I'll see what happens this summer."
Dre recently promised fans he will deliver Detox by the end of the year (10) after several delays.