Now on the second leg of tour dates for the promotion of his latest album, ‘Teflon Don‘; Rick Ross is currently touring the world with several international and U.S. dates on tap.  The tour wraps up in Canada in January of 2011 with Ross making his way to Winnipeg on January 11.

The latest string of dates is all part of the “Blowin’ Money Fast Tour“.  The tour kicked off in the United States in the beginning of November and is taking Ross around the world.  After huge success from a string of singles, the album is rumored to be re-released by Ross’ label.  The latest in the string of singles that has brought major attention to the record is the title track for the current tour, “Blowin’ Money Fast“.

In addition to his solo success, Rick Ross has made several hit singles in collaboration with nearly every major artist and group around today.  Although his title is self-proclaimed, Rick Ross certainly lives up to his mantra of being ‘The Boss’.

Prepare for a hip-hop dance invasion Winnipeg.  The Black Eyed Peas are returning to Peg City on August 18th for a show at the downtown MTS Centre.

The Peas will be stopping off in Winnipeg in mid-August as part of “The E.N.D. World Tour” that has been making its way around the globe since the albums release back in June of 2009.  The album came out swinging with its first single “Boom Boom Pow” and its successor; “I Gotta Feeling”.  The latter of the two dominated charts after its release becoming one of the most downloaded digital releases of all time.  Continuing to break records, the latest singles have earned BEP the title of most consecutive weeks in the Hot 100′s No. 1 spot.  Overtaking their own No. 1 hit with another, BEP held the number one spot for 26 consecutive weeks.

Also performing with the Black Eyed Peas is special guest T-Pain.

One of the most influential hip-hop groups to spawn from the Philadelphia music scene, The Roots have been making their mark on the music industry since the debut of their first album - Organix – in 1993.  Since then the group has released over half a dozen albums including gems like “Illadelph Halflife” and “The Tipping Point“.

The group originally formed with Frontman and Emcee, Black Though (a.k.a. Tariq Trotter) and drummer, ?uestlove (a.k.a. Ahmir Thompson); both students at Philadelphia’s High School for Creative Arts.  After being joined by the remainder of the band, they found success with their live jazz-styled beats and highly charged hip-hop lyrics.  With their unique brand of hip-hop in tow, the group has performed all over the world from headlining musical mega-concert  ”Coachella”, appearing in Dave Chappelle’s movie “Block Party“, and even playing the live stage in Whistler, BC at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

After their various levels of success in the past few years, The Roots is ready to drop their newest record, “How I Got Over” in mid-June of this year.  This will be the band’s first album release since making headlines back in March of 2009 when they signed on with the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show as the house band.  Early whispers of the album are generating a buzz in the music world. Last week a preview track from the album popped up on the internet, adding fuel to the already roaring fire.

West Coast rapper Abstract Rude will be hitting the stage in Peg City on May 13, 2010. Hailing from Los Angeles, CA – one of the “Mecca”s of rap – Abstract Rude first came to the scene as Emcee for the hip-hop / dance troupe “Abstract Tribal Unique” or ATU in the early 1990s. Abstract Rude is also a member of hip-hop trio “Haiku D’Etat” and “The A-Team” with Aceyalone.

Abstact’s sound is a product of the well known Good Life Cafe in south-central Los Angeles.  His first performances came as part of open-mic workshops at Good Life Cafe in the early 1990s, which was also home to Freestyle Fellowship and Jurassic 5 at the time.

After getting his start with Fat Jack and The Good Life hip-hop workshop, Abstract began getting worldwide attention after working with Grand Royal (appearing on both Mixed Drink mixtapes).  Since then, several discs have been produced; most recently “Rejuvenation“.  The latest album comes as the first release by Abstract since signing with Rhymesayers Entertainment.

Headlining the evening will be Winnipeg’s Club King, DJ Keesh.  One of the top DJs in the Winnipeg area, DJ Keesh regularly rocks the club world at Republic.  A master of spin, make sure to catch Keesh with the evening hosted by Winnipeg hip-hop sensations; NDU and Fabii.

Along side Keesh for the night’s entertainment will be reggae’s mistress in the Peg, DJ Lady Spice.  Spice spins some of the wildest reggae fusion records available through the Winnipeg area.  She has been featured at several local events including the annual Ska & Reggae festival that began a few years ago.

I lively gathering of music and entertainment, make sure to check out ‘Rude Boy’ on May 21st, 2010.

A veteran of the hip-hop scene, Pip has been rapping for several years.  In early days, Pip was at the forefront of the lyrical ensemble Farm Fresh from his home town of Brandon, Manitoba.  Further applying his raw style of writing and performing, Pip has successfully released 4 solo projects, the most recent being a 2007 EP titled “The Pip Donahue Show EP“.

While performing his unique brand of music, Pip Skid has been instrumental in the success of indie hip-hop label Peanuts & Corn Recordings.  A highly sought after artist, Pip has been featured on several of label’s 40 releases.  Additional work with other high profile groups such as Fermented Reptile and Break Break has been well received by fans and critics.

A steady list of achievements and consistently high-quality compositions are ‘status quo’ for Pip Skid.  Already dubbed an ‘instant classic’, Skid Row promises more of the same.

Kieth Elam, better known as ‘Guru‘ has been widely considered one of the industries top artists of the past decade.  A founding member of Gang Starr, Guru and company built a sizable fan-base in the early 1990s.  Guru’s first solo album came in 1993, although he considered his first “proper” album to be Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures of 2005.  The last album released by Guru prior to his passing was in May of 2009 with Version 8.0: Lost And Found.  Among these years Guru also release 4 installments of the Jazzmatazz series of Jazz-inspired recordings with legendary artist collaboration.

A statement has been issued including a letter to fans, according to publicists, as written by Guru.  In his letter the emcee made note of his non-profit charity, Each One Counts, dedicated to helping terminally ill children in need of care.  For those wishing to make donations, please visit http://www.eachonecounts.org/.

A sad day for the hip-hop community as it has lost another legend and innovator.  Condolences to those grieving this loss.

The acquisition of new management comes quickly on the heels of Minaj’s issues with previous manager, Debra Antney.  Headlines rolled around the industry less than two weeks ago of the sudden firing of Minaj’s manager of three years.  Its been reported that after the firing of Antney, Minaj sought out the management of Troy Carter; Lady Gaga’s current manager.  Sources  have indicated that this deal was halted by threats from Gaga to dismiss Carter and find new management if Minaj was taken on.  Additional rumors about a co-management deal between Diddy and Carter have also been suggested, however largely dismissed.

Diddy’s signing of Rick Ross comes as a less astounding headline, but news-worth still.  Bad Boy has been reportedly working on a deal with ‘The Boss’ for several months.

The signing of a management deals with Minaj and Ross puts Diddy at the reins of two of hip-hops current hit makers.

One of the most respected rap duo’s of all time, Public Enemy has helped to shape the very foundations of the hip hop industry.  Formed back in 1982, Public Enemy (or PE) has a reputation for politically charged lyrics, criticism for the American media and issues of concern for the African American community.

These seasoned elites of the rap world saw the spotlight as early as 1988 with their second album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.  Chart topping hits, critical acclaim, and a list of ‘firsts’ for the hip-hop genre litter the list of achievements of Public Enemy.  All this in addition to the various individual successes of both Flava Flav and Chuck D.

May 18th will see the dynamic duo attack Winnipeg’s Burton Cummings Theatre.  Near 30 year veterans of the style, Public Enemy promises to top the list of great hip-hop shows of 2010 in Winnipeg.

A veteran of the music world, Del has contributed his work in several efforts; both solo and collaborative.  A cousin of legendary hip-hop sensation, Ice Cube, Del began his career writing for Ice Cube’s backing band; “Da Lench Mob”.  In 1991 and with the help of Ice Cube, Del released his first solo album entitled I Wish My Brother George Was Here.  The following two decades of work in the music industry have seen Del release 7 solo studio albums as well as a wide variety of collaborative efforts.

In addition to his successes in the traditional music channels, The Homosapien’s tracks frequently appear in the video game world as well. Most notably, Del can be found a myriad of the Tony Hawk video game projects.  Not limited to skateboarding games, Del (as part of the Heiroglyphics) is included in both NBA 2K5 and NBA 2K7.

A prominent hip-hop artist and seasoned performer, this promises to be a show to see.  Del has topped the charts in a variety of genres as a member of highly talented ensembles such as the Heiroglyphics and the Gorillaz, as well as being an achieved solo artist.  A $20 show that surely cannot be missed by fans of real hip-hop.