NEW YORK (AP) -- Guru, the influential rapper known for his intellectual themes, his monotone delivery and his combination of jazz sounds with hip-hop beats, has died after battling cancer, collaborators said. He was 43.

Early 1990s rap kings Cypress Hill are back after a six-year album gap with "Rise Up," a passable effort that should be well-received by their original fan base but is likely to be overlooked by today's hip-hop consuming youth.

(NNPA) - A discrimination lawsuit filed against a popular Atlanta restaurant by two customers, a former NBA player and a prominent local lawyer, may soon go to trial.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Monica, who debuted at 15 with the multiplatinum-selling CD "Miss Thang," wasn't one who succumbed to celebrity pitfalls as a child star

Roland Reflects on Obama's Historic Run for the White House

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Nas says he's focusing on music and his children after striking a deal to dismiss a civil contempt charge against him.
A Los Angeles judge dismissed the contempt allegation against the rapper Monday after he paid nearly $50,000 in child support to his estranged wife Kelis.

A sell-out crowd is expected Friday, April 16, at the Urban Arts Dance Company, which is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a Spring concert, "Pulse," 8 p.m. at the Newmark Theater, 1111 SW Broadway in Portland.

Now in its seventh year, the LHAAFF is a staple in Seattle's Central District for giving the neighborhood the opportunity to see unknown indie films specifically about African American culture. It takes place this year April 17-25.

A rap music smackdown looms in a federal courtroom between oft-troubled impresario Marion "Suge" Knight and controversial star Kanye West over a shooting at a star-studded Miami Beach party.
Knight, founder of Death Row Records and promoter of some of rap's biggest acts, was shot in the right leg in August 2005 by a still-unknown assailant at the ultra-trendy Shore Club. West was hosting the party before the MTV Video Music Awards held that year in Miami.

NEW YORK (AP) -- The name of David Mills kept coming up in a conversation last week about "Treme," HBO's zesty drama set in post-Katrina New Orleans, premiering Sunday at 10 p.m. EDT.