Five months into his jail bid for attempted weapons possession, Lil Wayne hasn't forgotten about his family, fans and famous friends. Weezy wrote another letter, posted on his WeezyThanxYou.com blog today (Aug. 16), in which he shouts out his mother, children, fans, Young Money crew and recently-incarcerated actress Lindsay Lohan, among others.



"Hey Lindsey, glad it's over doll. I should have written her huh?" Wayne wrote to the troubled star. "Young Money, you're the best I ever had. Mother, I love you. Nae, you're my angel. Lil Tunechi Jr., you're the man. Lil Kam, you're the best heartbreaker. Lil Neal, you're the littler meatball," he continued, naming all four of his children by their nicknames.


 

St. Louis rapper Nelly is set to release his sixth full-length studio album, "5.0," on Nov. 16. The album's first single, "Tippin in Da Club," was serviced to urban radio and features production by Dutch. "Just a Dream," the album's second single, boasts work by Jim Jonsin and Rico Love and was serviced to Top 40 radio.

While Beyoncé's decision to take a break earlier this year prompted rumors that she and husband Jay-Z are looking to have children, the singer says that there are "no dates, no times" expected for a baby. "My ambition is to continue to learn about the world and to eventually have a family," said Beyoncé, who has been using her time away from music to promote her first signature perfume, Heat.

USHER is taking advantage of the winning streak he's on with his No. 1 album "Raymond V. Raymond," by quickly releasing a follow-up titled "Versus" on Aug. 24.

 

The album, billed as the sequel to and final chapter of "Raymond V. Raymond," will include eight new songs, including first single "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love," featuring Pitbull and produced by Max Martin, and second single "Hot Tottie," helmed by Polow Da Don.

On Aug. 24, fans will also have the opportunity to purchase "Raymond V. Raymond (The Deluxe Edition)," which will combine all songs from "Raymond V. Raymond" and "Versus" into one package. The hit "There Goes My Baby" will also be included and rapper Bun B makes an appearance on the set.

Released in March, "Raymond V. Raymond" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It has sold 898,000 copies in the United States to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan.  The album's songs, including singles "Papers," "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)," "Lil Freak," "There Goes My Baby" and "OMG," have earned 4.4 million downloads, including 2.6 million for "OMG." The latter song is also the second-best selling download of the year, after Train's "Hey, Soul Sister" with 3.4 million, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

JENNIFER LOPEZ called off a controversial show in the breakaway north of Cyprus, provoking celebrations by Greek Cypriots while Turkish Cypriots denounced the move.

 

Reports that Lopez would perform at a luxury hotel in the north on her 41st birthday this month triggered a Greek Cypriot online campaign pushing for cancellation.

 

Greek Cypriots on Friday hailed Lopez's withdrawal "a victory". They saw her appearance as helping legitimize the island's division. It was split into a Greek speaking south and a Turkish speaking north in 1974 when Turkey invaded following a coup by supporters of union with Greece.

 

Turkish Cypriots called the cancellation part of a Greek Cypriot campaign to keep them isolated.

Written by Lynn Hirschberg, the New York Times piece contrasts M.I.A.'s celebrity lifestyle with her politicized image and music, particularly her connection to a militant Sri Lanka group, the Tamil Tigers, that led some to describe her as a terrorist. "'I kind of want to be an outsider,' she said, eating a truffle-flavored French fry," Hirschberg writes of M.I.A. in the story. "'I don't want to make the same music, sing about the same stuff, talk about the same things. If that makes me a terrorist, then I'm a terrorist.'"

M.I.A. tweeted angrily about the piece last week, saying, "News is an opinion!" and posting Hirschberg's cellphone number. "CALL ME IF YOU WANNA TALK TO ME ABOUT THE N Y T TRUTH ISSUE, ill b taking calls all day bitches." Callers were directed to Hirschberg's voicemail, and the writer later described the move as "infuriating and not surprising" as well as "fairly unethical."

M.I.A. also promised to post her unedited interview with Hirschberg on her website but has since posted two brief audio excerpts, one of which suggests that it was the writer who ordered the French fries.

The New York Times profile isn't the only M.I.A. story generating controversy. The singer has been speaking to several outlets to promote her July 13 album "/\/\ /\ Y /\," and in an interview with Nylon, she shares her thoughts on Google and Facebook. "[They] were developed by the CIA, and when you're on there, you have to know that," she says. M.I.A. also recently criticized Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, telling U.K. magazine NME that Bieber's music videos are "more violent and more of an assault to my eyes" than her controversial "Born Free" (in which redheaded boys are rounded up and shot by officers) and that Gaga is "not progressive, but she's a good mimic"...none of her music's reflective of how weird she wants to be or thinks she is."


 

Hip-hop pioneer Dr. Dre will be presented with the ASCAP Founders Award during the organization's 23rd annual Rhythm & Soul Music Awards. The ceremony-which will also honor the songwriters and publishers of 2009's most performed ASCAP songs on the R&B/hip-hop, rap and gospel charts - will take place June 25 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.
 
The ASCAP Founders Awards is given to songwriters and composers whose musical legacies have inspired and influenced fellow music creators. Dr. Dre, a founding member with Eazy-E and Ice Cube of the seminal rap group N.W.A., is also a Grammy Award-winning producer of the year, songwriter and label chief who has directed such hits as BlackStreet's "No Diggity," Mary J. Blige's "Family Affair" and 2Pac ("California Love"). In addition to helping launch the careers of Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent, Dr. Dre is a hit-making artist in his own right, including "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang" from his pivotal 1992 solo debut "The Chronic." Dr. Dre joins such previous Founders honorees as Stevie Wonder, Garth Brooks, Paul McCartney, Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson.
 
"Dre is one of the most important voices in modern music," said ASCAP president/chairman Paul Williams in a statement. "He created a unique, recognizable sound that dominated rap music in the early '90s...and continues to inspire artists and producers across all genres with his musical techniques."

Work could begin next year on a $300 million museum and arts center dedicated to Michael Jackson in his hometown, his father and Gary officials announced Wednesday.

 

The late singer last visited Gary in 2003 to talk about the project, but no progress was made on it before his death last year. His father, Joe Jackson, said Wednesday that he was "just carrying out his legacy" by getting involved.

 

"This is a happy day for me because this is something that my family and Michael have always wanted," Joe Jackson said. "We're bringing something back."

 

Gary Mayor Rudy Clay said the project would create thousands of jobs and, when finished, was expected to bring at least 750,000 visitors a year to the city. He estimated it would generate $100 million to $150 million in income for the community each year.

 

"This project will be the magnet that will draw people from all over the world," Clay said.

 

The money to build the Jackson Family Museum and Hotel and the Michael Jackson Performing Arts and Cultural Center and Theaters will come from investors and donations, Clay said.

 

After years of promises about the project but no action, residents were cautiously optimistic. People said they were hopeful because Wednesday's announcement was the furthest along the project has ever come, with the city's donation of 300 acres of land.

 

Police Chief Gary O. Carter was impressed by Joe Jackson's presence.

 

"Why would he come all the way here if it wasn't" going to happen, Carter said.

 

Seretha Harvey, 24, grew up in Gary and said she hoped the project would happen, and that it would bring jobs and help change people's image of the financially struggling city.

 

"I've been in and out of Gary for the past few years, and I've seen it deteriorate. I'm worried about whether this is actually going to matriculate," she said, but added, "I'm optimistic about it."

An Australian court has fined a man $12,000 Australian ($10,950) for copyright infringements after traffic police spotted illegally copied CDs and DVDs in his car.The Wagga Wagga Local Court, 450km south-west of Sydney, found Sasha Dimititijevic guilty on six counts of manufacturing pirate music with an intention to sell for profit and six counts of possession of pirate music.New South Wales cops noticed "large volumes" of illegally burned discs when they stopped the Serbian-born man's car for speeding on the state's Hume Highway in January 2009. Dimititijevic later admitted to police that he had sourced the music from his parents in Serbia and via illegal Internet downloading. He later pleaded with the court that the Serbian composers were not covered by Australian copyright laws fell, but his argument fell on deaf ears.The Music Industry Piracy Investigations unit presented evidence which led to the decision of Wagga Wagga magistrate Geoff Hiatt. "It does not matter if that music is created in Australia or Croatia, people need to understand that pirating music is illegal regardless of its origin," says Sabiene Heindl, GM of MIPI.In Australia, criminal penalties for copyright infringement are up to $60,500 Australian ($55,200) and five years imprisonment per offence for individuals, and up to $302,500 Australian ($276,000) for corporations.

-- TV One is ramping up four new episodes of its popular biography series, "Unsung." The next rollout of hour-long programs begins March 22 (9 p.m. ET) with a profile of Rose Royce. That episode will be followed by profiles of Sylvester (March 29), Stacy Lattisaw (April 12) and the Bar-Kays (April 19). Launched in 2004, "Unsung" has previously chronicled the careers of Donny Hathaway, Phyllis Hyman, Minnie Riperton and DeBarge, among others.-- : E-40 returns with not one but two separate new releases on March 30" "Revenue Retrievin': The Day Shift" and "Revenue Retrievin': The Night Shift." Guest collaborators on both sets include Snoop Dogg, Gucci Mane, Too Short, Jazze Pha, Bobby V and J. Valentine. The albums are being released through independent label Heavy On The Grind Entertainment, distributed by EMI. Heavy is owned by E-40's son Earl Stevens Jr. (aka Droop-E).-- Kindred the Family Soul, best known for such R&B hits as "Far Away" and "Where Would I Be," is now producing its own web-based reality series, "Six Is It!" The show follows Kindred husband-and-wife duo Aja and Fatin Dantzler as the Philadelphia couple pursues their singing career while raising six children. The bi-weekly episodes are available through KindredtheFamilySoul.com and partner site blackandmarriedwithkids.com.-- Atlantic Records has signed Georgia-based rapper Donnis. In the midst of completing his debut album, Donnis is out on his first U.S. junket, the Crowd Control Tour. The tour, which features Kidz in the Hall, 88-Keys and Izza Kizza, kicked off Feb. 28 in New York City and includes a stop at the upcoming SXSW festival in Austin.