"They're just pu**y, these people," Emilio told Hip-Hop Wired shady industry dudes." They're not men about anything. Instead of reaching out personally, they'll have somebody else speak on their behalf and that's pu**y. I don't like to deal with people that can't look in your eye or can't pick up the phone to tell you something you might not like hearing or that you might react unfavorably to."

Peep the video for plenty more sucka A&R slander.

Photo: Emilio Rojas

“We're like, in the middle so everything from here on out is gonna be the grand closing.”

With the music world continuing to wait for the release of Lupe Fiasco's third official album, L.A.S.E.R.S., the rapper looks even farther forward to the finish line.

Marking this as the halfway mark in his career, the rapper still says that his frustrations with the music industry will inevitably have him bowing out once and for all.

Just to think, he only became mainstream in 2006 and he's tired of the politics after four years.

In regard to the release date of the upcoming project, Fiasco stated the album is completely finished and it is now in the hands of Atlantic Records to figure out when they would like to have it hit shelves.

According to the Chicago native, the project known as Child Rebel Soldiers, or CRS, with Kanye West and Pharrell still has the green light to go.

Outside of the music, Fiasco is in the process of creating his first book.  Adding that he was always a writer, the music was just an extension of his ability to tell stories.

Check the rest of the interview below:

Maino's cousin, his close friend, recently committed suicide and last spring the rapper's best friend was shot by police.

Through all of the turmoil, Maino continues to maintain his composure, but has come to realize that the road isn't what he initially imagined it to be.

The Brooklyn native gave more insight on his relationship with his cousin, trying to deal with his personal problems and balancing his life in and outside the music industry while speaking to MTV.

“Even right now, my closest cousin committed suicide. He's been on the road with me. You probably seen me with him. His funeral is tomorrow. This is what I'm saying. You get in the game, you think you escape all this. This is not a distant relative of mine. This is my closest cousin. We grew up together. My mother and his mother are sisters. Just thinking about that and going through that while I'm trying to attain fame and this lifestyle, it's two worlds.

One side, everything is all good. On my personal, it's really not. My cousin was just here; now he's not. The circumstances behind him doing whatever he felt he needed to do, I can't really understand. [Entertainers] take the bumps and bruises and keep moving. We grieve, we pick up, and we try to keep it moving.”

Maino also reflected on a moment in time where his music was able to create a positive environment for someone else.

“I had a conversation with a dude that told me I stopped him from committing suicide.  I said, ‘Wow'. I'm glad I was able to help him.  This was just through music.  That's what music is for.  It's the soundtrack to your life.”

Even through the hardships, the rapper keeps going.  With the EP Unstoppable on the way and his second album, The Day After Tomorrow, expected to drop this summer, Maino knows that he can dwell on the past, but must always look forward.

Check the rest of Maino's interview below.

“I studied you ni**a, cause I was a fan, but I'm a fan of the Lord first so I would be damned/ If Imma let you get over/ Push the fans souls up/ Have me chantin Hova/ For Satan's hand soldier.”

Apparently, some are fed up with Jay Z making his constant, subliminal “shots” at God and religion and have decided to take matters into their own hands.

Without title, a Christian rapper takes his frustrations out on Hov with a diss track to the Brooklyn rapper.  Coincidentally, he takes the instrumental of “Renegade”, maybe trying to have another artist murder Jay on his own Shyte.

Comparing himself to David and Jigga as Goliath, the rapper is clearly looking to stand behind the Lord and defend him nail and tooth in a battle with Jay Z.  Really?

“What's with all the black crows, oh your girls a black bird/ Satanic symbols flashing when you lack words.”

First of all, who would have known that a Christian rapper would use the term “ni**a” so loosely in their rhymes?

Not to say that things have been blown out of portion, it is evident that things have become out of hand at this point.  What is the light that everyone is seeing at the end of the tunnel by continuing to try and create a stir with Jay?

With artists, outside of Jay, being pointed at as being anti-Christ and embracing evil for success, the war is on between the industry and the Holy Spirit.

Whereas some must adapt and mold their image to actually fit in with what's popular, Jay Z has utilized his hustler mentality to keep himself afloat and relevant since 1996 with Reasonable Doubt.

13 years later down the line, The Blueprint III stands as the pinnacle of a career that has been building and has yet to stop with each release.  Through it all, Jay has yet to compromise his own image and has kept his eye on the prize.

Look at his old team if anyone needs any reference point.  No matter what happens, Hov makes sure to find his way back on top.

Steve Stoute, whose voice and pull gave Jay the outlet to ink the deal with Reebok, was able to give his perspective on Jigga's climb into the mainstream circle.  Speaking with Esquire, the founder of Translation LLC reflected on Jay's methods in comparison to other legendary Black entertainers in music.

“African-Americans were very rarely considered pop culture.  When Whitney became pop, she did a lot of things that were not necessarily her.  Look at her first album – she looks like an African goddess – “versus her second” – a black Olivia Newton-John – and you'll see what she did.  Michael Jackson, same thing.  He put Jheri curls in his hair.  Those were the things they had to do to be loved by the masses.”

Never one to follow the pack, the rapper has continuously found a way for fans to gravitate towards him.

“The masses came to him.”

Although his business tactics may be borderline shady , depending on who is looking at it, Jay has yet to compromise his own interests and has only made moves to push himself forward.  Essentially at his peak, how much higher can Jay Z go from here?

Chamillionaire, who has been talking about his third studio album Venom since November 2008, is a prime candidate for an artist that might have reached a particular stature as the album has been pushed back from its original release date of February 2 to March 16.

Now with all of the moaning and groaning due to disappointment and having to wait and extra month, the rapper actually has something in store for February anyway.  Although Venom will hit shelves in March, Cham is in the process of leading another movement with another disc titled Major Pain.

Making the announcement through his YouTube, the rapper stated that the politics of the industry wouldn't allow for him to drop his gem, but that wasn't going to stop him from delivering in the month he was supposed to.

Utilizing the Internet, the rapper plans to cut the middle man of distribution fees, record labels, A&R's, etc and distribute through chamiilionaire.com.

In order to eliminate all discrepancies and complications, sometimes a person has to go straight to the source to get their fix, so let's just call Chamillionaire the dealer.

During a show at the House Of Blues in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the Man on the Moon spoke on his recent activity involving the assault on a fan that resulted in him being ejected from Lady Gaga's tour.

The media has found many different angles and spins to place on the incident so Cudi has found no other alternative but to provide a little clarity and defend himself.

"They trying to make me look like the poster boy for violence and ignorance," Cudi said. "I tell motherFawkers I'm the poster boy for honesty, realness, anarchy, I don't give a Fawk about this business."

Almost like a punching bag, the young rapper has been placed under the microscope and beaten by many, being judged for his preference and methods in showcasing his material his own distinct way.

What started as a response turned quickly into his own uproar as the rapper proceeded to provide further commentary on the music industry and how his own experiences have forever changed his perceptions on particular artists.

"I'm the truest motherFawker in this business and people trying to destroy me. All these other n*ggas that y'all probably fans of is sucker a** n*ggas, I met them. N*ggas I was a fan of when I was buying their CDs, I'm not a fan of they music no more. This business is WWF fam and if you don't comply, they try to destroy you...I never talk Shyte, I came to this game, just wanted to smoke my weed and motherFawkers just wanna destroy me, I don't give a Fawk. I'm unstoppable."

The rap game has drastically transitioned from a sport where freedom of speech is key, to another day at high school where the students are too busy making judgments about those that are different before even giving them a chance.

It's time to grow up and sweep all of the children out of a grown man's business.

Watch the footage here:

“I was like everybody's manager.  I guess on that respect, I might have spoiled them.”

The worst part about building an enterprise is when trouble begins to brew and a person is forced to just sit back and watch as everything they built and worked for, crumbles in front of them.  The feeling is magnified when a person comes to the realization that they can't do anything about it.

With the news of the rift between Beanie Sigel and Jay-Z, it's sad to see where they all came in and now look at what everything has become.  The legacy of Roc-A-Fella and everything that it stood for was shattered and surprising information is showing that  all these alleged friendships may have just been business deals in the end.

Dame Dash has caught the blunt trauma as he has been labeled the reason behind the Dynasty falling after bringing in the Diplomats which fueled beef between Cam and Jay.

Speaking with Mixtape Monster, Dame looks back on the past and how he was willing to sign anybody that could help in keeping the empire growing.

“In Rock-N-Roll, you don't sign an artist until they can fill up a venue and sell merch and they sell their own CDs…then they get signed.  With Roc-A-Fella, I would just sign people, put them on a private jet and they'd be performing in front of the Garden.  I guess you think that's normal, but it just wasn't.”

Who would have thought that there would come a day when the Roc was a figment in everyone's memory.

“I'm very disappointed with where Roc-A-Fella went.  The brand is compromised and I never thought that could ever happen where Roc-A-Fella is just not relevant.”

To see everything start by Dame and Jay's hands and end the same way, one would believe that he still harbors a grudge as the money outweighed everything and caused the separation. Now looking from the outside in, he is aware of the change in perception about Jigga.

“I can't objectively have an opinion on him.  I'm hearing what people are saying and I just would have never thought that there would be a day where I would hear people are saying those things about him.  I just thought he was untouchable as a rapper.  To hear certain things, it's kind of surprising.”

In regards to Dipset, Dame could only witness the Harlem group break up as his focus has been geared towards Jim Jones.

“I haven't seen Cam in like 2, 3, 4 years.  I miss him.  I don't like what's going on with him and Jim.  He's like my little brother, all of them.  I'm like 7 years older than him, so I wish I could advise him.  He's always going to be my dude.  We all grew up together.”

The business is truly a test to every person's character.  Some are consumed by the fame and forget their beginnings while others are pushed out of the equation.  The music industry is a leech that feeds on those that allow it to get close enough.

“I had to fight to get that on the album because I don't think a lot of people at the label understood it.”

No person can imagine the magnitude of emotion an artist will endure when he/she finds out that his/her album has been leaked.  In the case of D.C. rapper Wale, part of the new class, it is a shock to the system to know that he will already have a disadvantage with his debut Attention Deficit.

Leaks hit the net for the upcoming project which is scheduled for release on November 10.

For those that already have the album and those that are still waiting to hear it, the rapper that made “Chillin” has minimal presence in the album as the body of work shows him to be more than a pop song.

One song in particular, titled “Shades," shows Wale speaking on his childhood and dealing with different complexions of the African American race and having a negative perception towards those with lighter skin.

Speaking with Peace Magazine, the rapper opened up on the meaning behind the track and how it was actually a song about self and dealing with his own insecurities.

“'Shades' isn't necessarily about my resentfulness, at one point I thought I was resenting them, but it was a lack of confidence in myself that led me to behave the way I did at that time in my life.”

Outside of the song, Wale added there are different shades within the industry which causes differences due to a lack of comprehension with creativity and how he had to miss out on other powerful songs which were meant for the album.

“There's not a lot of ethnicity in the industry, as far as the higher ups go, and those guys are great at marketing and doing what they do, but a lot of times, records like “Ice & Rain," “Family Affair," these are all records that I wanted to get on the album, but I couldn't.  “Shades was one where it had to and I was going to refuse to do anything if it didn't come out.”

The industry has been in disarray for quite some time where sales outweigh substance and feeling.  The powers that be are not looking for an individual; instead they want clones which he is unwilling to be from this point forward.

“I understand the game; you have to put a record out like that to wake up the people that don't really care about self in music.  Now, it's on now.  Y'all know what I want to make now so be prepared.  I'm not here to be a pop act.  “Chillin” is a pop song and I'm not here to be a pop act.  I enjoyed what Gaga brings to the table and I wanted to make something that could be a lot of fun, but I don't think I'll be going back down that road ever.”

Even with such a misstep before the gun blows to start the race, sales may be hurt, but the message is still there for everyone to hear.  With a week before the official release, Wale won't allow the shades of music to cover his voice.

“I can't use my own music without getting your permission?”

The music industry isn't always what it's cracked up to be.  Images may seem a lot different from afar and as people continue to look at artists and envy their luxurious lifestyles has a reality gut check to look forward to. 

Too many have been blinded and confused by the flashing lights.

DMX is an artist that has seen the sky as well as the pits in his rap career.  Many remember the days when X was on top with Ruff Ryders, but people continue to wonder what actually happened as he seems to be a past memory since as his exploits outweigh the music.

Also making a move towards being independent, there is clearly something going on with major record labels as artists, particularly rappers, continue to find solace in their career when they do it on their own.   

While on SLF (Sounds Like Fire), the Dark Man gave some incite about the actual game and the politics that take place behind closed doors between the artist and those that help to shape his/her career in regards to exposure. 

“The highest paid artists get 26 cents off a dollar.  They sell your Shyte for $20.  C'mon dawg, you can do a little better than that.”

Back in the day when Def Jam actually gave priority to their rap artists, the video game industry was hit by storm with the game Def Jam Vendetta which featured the Def Jam roster in a WWE style fighting game.  The game's initial success resulted in two sequels.

The rapper, who was featured as a character as well as having his music played, stated that shifty business deals in that forced him to receive the short end of the stick.

“They sell a game for 50 fu&^ing dollars.  These ni**as come to me like ‘Yo, guess what X?  We're gonna do a part 2 now.'  Mind you, they use my music throughout the whole fu$#ing game and I'm the hardest character to get to.  So it's pretty much my Shyte.  They say they're going to give me a $25,000 advance signing bonus and 2 cents off of every game sold.  $50 fu&%ing game and you're giving me 2 cents?”

For young artists that think that the life of an artist is all glitz and glam, think twice before adapting this type of mentality.  Nothing comes free and fame has its own prices.