Midtown Manhattan isn't that far from the Harlem neighborhood where Sean “P. Diddy” Combs grew up, but as Combs christened his new Sean John flagship store on Fifth Avenue, the rapper-designer said he felt like he was worlds away from where he started."This is beyond a dream come true," Combs said Thursday night as he watched celebrities Naomi Campbell, Vivica Fox, Nicky and Paris Hilton, and fellow designers Tommy Hilfiger and Zac Posen file into the store for a champagne toast during New York Fashion Week. He said he plans to open up his next Sean John store in Beverly Hills, Calif., followed by Houston, Chicago, Detroit and Atlanta, and then London, Paris and Japan.

It is awards season and the MTV Video Music Awards presented one of the biggest and most talked about shows in Miami this summer. Congrats to OutKast for Best Video of the Year and Best Hip Hop Video with “Hey Ya”; Usher f/ Lil’ Jon a

nd Ludacris for Best Male Video with “Yeah”; and the originator of the booty bounce, Miss Beyonce for Best Female Video with her cut “Naughty Girl”. Best Rap Video went to Jay-Z for “99 Problems” and Alicia Keys took home Best R&B Video with “If I Ain’t Got You”.

After the overwhelming success of "Jesus Walks," Kanye West's “The College Dropout” has received a Stella Awards nomination for Best Gospel Rap Album to the chagrin of gospel music veterans. A committee for the Stella Awards Gospel Music Academy has put West's debut on the ballot from which nominees for Best Gospel Rap Album will be selected. “It just seems that it shouldn't have gotten through," Jadda Gunn, a member of the music academy told the Associated Press. "For this to be the Stellar Awards they should have known Kanye West, Roc-A-Fella records -- that's not (a) gospel album." Academy officials said that mistakes were made on the ballot and that an additional ballot will soon be sent to the members. No word on whether Kanye was removed or not.

Though Mos Def's long awaited sophomore LP was initially advertised to drop on Sept. 28, the LP's lack of visibility caused doubt about whether it would truly hit stores this year. Now with a new release date set in early October, a track from “The New Danger” has leaked on the streets. Also, the album is beginning to get reviews and its cover art has surfaced on the Internet. Similar to Black on Both Sides, the cover pictures a close up of Mos' face, which is largely covered with a bandana from the nose to his chin. Spin Magazine's Web site has already reviewed the effort and praised the Mighty Mos for his stellar piece of work.

As if Phat Farm wasn’t successful enough for Russell Simmons, the Def Jam co-founder is launching another clothing line. Attacking a new demographic is Def Jam University, a brand which will include both men’s and women’s lines. "Phat Farm is growing in volume and more polished every year, however Def jam will be more affordable and rugged," Simmons told AllHipHop. "We're opening it up to the whole population." The line will focus on a more mainstream acceptance and will be priced significantly lower than the Phat Farm line.