Hats off to Russell Simmons’, for keepin’ it really real with the first ever Birmingham Heritage Youth Empowerment Hip Hop Summit. The Summit will be held in conjunction with the Birmingham Heritage Festival in Birmingham, Alabama on August 1st. It will take place on the same grounds that African-American youth in Birmingham, Alabama fought for racial equality, in the 60’s, and gained civil rights for people of color throughout this nation!

Missy Elliott leads the field with eight nominations for the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, to be handed out Aug. 28th at Radio City Music Hall. Missy's "Work It" clip is up for video of the year, best hip-hop video and best direction in a video, among others. Meanwhile, Beyonce and Sean Paul have each earned four nominations, 50 Cent and Sean Paul are squaring off for Best New Artist honors, and 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” is up for Video of the Year.

Jay-Z is set to leave the Rock the Mic tour following its originally scheduled Aug. 5 closing date, but 50 Cent will keep rocking the mic through at least the end of August. Thirteen new dates that begin on Aug. 7 extend the Rock the Mic tour through Aug. 21. During that time, the revamped roster will feature 50 Cent as the sole headliner, plus Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Sean Paul and Bone Crusher. And keep your ear to the street for down-low copies of the “Rock the Mic” mixtape that’s currently in the works. Bypass record stores on this one ‘cause in the words of 50, “you gotta keep your presence on the street”.

Bad Boys II soundtrack hits #1 on the Billboard Album charts. The soundtrack, produced by P. Diddy’s label of the same name, Bad Boys Entertainment, moved over 324,000 units as of press time. The number two spot was held down by Chingy, famous for his hit single, “Right Thurr”, with his album, Jackpot, which sold over 156,000 units.

Quadruple platinum artist, 50 Cent, has joined the ranks of hip hop moguls, Jay-Z and P.Diddy by inking a multi million dollar deal to launch his own clothing label, G-Unit, with respected urban designer Marc Ecko. G-Unit clothing, starting out with menswear, will have a unique selling hook, incorporating the rapper’s name. All items will have a retail price that includes $.50, for example, your new G-Unit cotton t-shirt may run ya $29.50.

The Queen of Hip Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige, continues to do her thing after more than a decade topping the charts. Already at #11 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Tracks, her new track "Love @ 1st Sight", featuring Method Man, will appear on her upcoming album, Love & Life. Due out August 26th, the album was produced by Mary J. and P. Diddy and includes guest performances by 50 Cent, Eve and Jay-Z. . The Grammy award winner can also be heard on the Bad Boys II soundtrack with the track "Didn't Mean."

Bow Wow’s all grown up and there’s nothing L’il about his latest release, Unleashed. This is his first album without the guidance of producer Jermaine Dupre. The two had to part ways after JD moved to Arista Records. Bow Wow, who claims the split gave him more creative freedom, said this album is all about fun and “trash talking everybody”. We’ll soon find out if this puppy is ready to be let off the chain. Unleashed is due in stores August 19th.