NBA all-star Shaquille O'Neal recently co-signed rap group D-Block, and took a second to explain to those misguided enough to actually look to Shaw for rap advice exactly why he thinks the New York group are "legends."   "I just wanna say one thing, a lot of people sleeping on them D-Block cats," Shaq said in an interview. "Them cats are legends. Them cats are legend. D-Block, I'm with y'all. I'm with y'all all the way. No, there ain't a [collaboration] record coming out. I'm just saying, you know a lot of people put together crews, but this is like one of the first crews that all three cats is hot. D-Block, whoo, outta here."       In somewhat related news, O'Neal was recently traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and rumor has it that Shaq found out via Twitter, of all places. In response to someone saying "is it true u a cleveland cavalier" Shaq wrote "I didn't hear dat yet." Later someone wrote "U CLEVELAND BOUND! Shaq found out he was traded thru twitter! lmao!hahahaaaaaa" and Shaq replied "I kno right." Does everybody talk like they're retarded these days? I'm ready to swear off this internet shit once and for all.  

  From this angle, new rapper Maino sure sounds like a little bitch. The aspiring rapper recently talked about the public's adoration of hip hop moguls like Jay-Z and how it hurts new emcees from New York trying to make a name for themselves. He didn't directly call out HOV, but Maino did question why Jay-Z signing Uncle Murda to Def Jam never produced an album.    "Who's New York's biggest star, Jay-Z right?," Maino said. "So you mean to tell me that there is no one capable of becoming a Jay-Z? The problem with New York is that we don't produce stars no more we still stuck on the old stars. I don't think that it's just that niggas can't make good music. Take me for example. I have proved hands down that I make good music right? But when Jay-Z puts out a record its gone be like, the biggest thing since the steering wheel...I'm glad Diddy signed Red Cafe cause nowhere is opening up an avenue for a new nigga. Instead of concentrating so much on his self, he opening it up for a new nigga. Murda was signed nothing came out of that...The OG's school you...So it being no camaraderie and no connection it makes it that much harder for a nigga to make it to that point to be a Jay-Z."   You also have to be goddamned incredible at what you do, as Jay-Z is. Maino, you sure as hell won't ever be a third as good - or as successful - as Jay-Z.  

  Kanye West made a surprise appearance at an L.A. film festival last week, where he debuted his new short film We Were Once A Fairytale. Directed by Spike Jones, the film was originally intended to be a music video for Kanye's 808s & Heartbreak track "Nightmares." In the film, West plays himself drunk at a club where he meets a beautiful woman and they start having sex before he passes out. He wakes up with his pants down and finds out he was humping a pillow and he runs to the bathroom where he vomits rose petals.    West then cuts his stomach spilling out more petals then pulls out a small demonic-looking rodent, which is connected with an umbilical cord.   

  Producer Timbaland recently talked about his ongoing feud with fellow producer Scott Storch, which started back in 2007. Talking with G-Unit's DJ Whoo Kid, Timbaland talked about the advantages Storch had when he worked with Timbo and Dr Dre. "I can't beef with a guy, we had a serious friendship," Timbaland says. "He worked with me for years, after he stopped working with Dre, he started working with me. And the dude is hot, the boy is hot. I think he's good on his own but when me and Dre got him together, we bring something outta Scott you've never seen."       Timbaland went on to talk about how the beef between the two started. "You know what it is, his crew and everybody getting to him got to him. I'm a bigger person and I told Scott sometimes he's weak. And everybody's getting in his ear blah, blah blah...and it's not even like that...Scott has gone through a lot of pain...You gotta be patient [with the industry hate] because you can't feed into it. I'm 30-something years old, freak I look like feeding into somebody whose 20-something years old?"   The man's got a point. Let's just hope he stays away from Chris Cornell from here on out.  

  Eminem made a surprise appearance on his Shade45 SiriusXM station earlier this week, where he annonced that he'll be performing at this years VooDoo Festival in New Orleans on Halloween. Saying that this will be his only live performance this year, Eminem went on to break the news that he is currently in the studio finishing up the second Relapse album, which we can expect to hit stores in the fourth quarter (September-December). Eminem went on to confirm that he recently shot the video for his next single "Beautiful," and it should be hitting soon.

Rapper Drake has been in the middle of a bidding war, with several labels clamoring to sign the Canadian former actor. It seems that Universal may win, after a battle mainly between Atlantic, Universal, Def Jam and Interscope Records - sources on the West Coast are reporting that Drake has signed his music contract with Universal. Nothing has been announced but an official statement is expected soon.