Kanye West Surpasses Michael Jackson

West is now one hit away from meeting Marvin Gaye's 41 mark and is within five hits of surpassing Chris Brown (42) and James Brown (44) to meet Jay Z at 45 Top 40 hits. He'd need six more hits to become one of the top five all-time Top 40 hit makers. As it stands, Elvis Presley leads the field with 80 all-time Top 40 hits and is followed by Lil Wayne (69), Elton John (57), Drake (53), and Stevie Wonder (46).

Kanye West made Billboard music history this past week, as he moved past Michael Jackson into the all-time top ten list of artists with the most Top 40 hits. Both Jackson and Frankie Valli had anchored the list with 39, before this week's numbers determined that ScHoolboy Q's West assisted "THat Part" had elevated to 40th from the 42nd position on the Top 100 chart. With the achievement, West joins partner/boss Jay Z and top-5 all-timers Drake and Lil Wayne as the fourth Hip Hop artist on the list.

50 Cent Talks Justin Bieber

"He's going through those phases growing up. It's like Michael Jackson issues," 50 told Sharon Osbourne and co-hosts Sheryl Underwood, Sarah Gilbert, Aisha Taylor and guest host Thomas Lennon. "Everybody gets a little tougher when I'm around." What 50 was alluding to was how much fun Bieber seemed to be having as he went about spraying champagne on the crowd.

Justin Bieber came up as a topic of conversation during Tuesday's episode of "The Talk" [August 2], and along with mention of the mega pop star came a comparison to the King of Pop. With 50 Cent stopping in as the show's guest, reference was made to Justin's behavior while attending a recent party hosted by the "Power" producer; behavior which Fif likened to that of MJ himself.

Bieber has resurfaced on Hip Hop's radar over the past week with him showing up Taylor Swift while face timing with Kanye West early Tuesday. The Instagram photo he posted of this time with Ye would draw 150k comments by the day's end.

Bieber's rock star attitude was scrutinized earlier in the year when he made it known that he would no longer sign autographs or take random selfies with fans in public. Those conditions would allegedly lead to his confrontation with a fan whose request for a signature he'd reject and would up exchanging blows with in Cleveland in early June.

Shorts - Money Ft Breeze Mantana And Loose

White Plains, New York rapper Shorts presents the self-directed music video for "Money", featuring Breeze Mantana and Loose. The track is a freestyle over Dave East's song of the same name. Born Jaycen Johnson, Shorts is the son of Michael Jackson/Diddy producer Michael "Mike Daddy" Evans. Shorts is prepping for the release of Long Story Short, his forthcoming mixtape featuring Kayne Precise and Breeze Mantana.

Sean Diddy Combs Retires After 1 More Album

(The Wrap-Up Magazine) The Bad Boy of hip hop is retiring from the rap game. The Bad Boys record mogul, who covers the June issue of Cigar Aficionado, told the magazine his last album will be “No Way Out 2,” the follow-up to 1997’s “No Way Out” featuring his best friend, the late Notorious B.I.G. The release date of his final work is unknown.

“I want to stop at a great place. And a final album is a great place to stop. I want to take a victory lap, to do a world tour and really enjoy it once last time.” Diddy has starred in films such as “Training Day,” “Monster’s Ball,” “Get Him to the Greek” and “Rush Hour 4″ under his birth name, Sean Combs.

“When I’m gone, only the songs will survive. I know I’m making music that will live on. I don’t go into the studio just to be hot or to hear myself on the radio,” Diddy said in the interview. “Michael Jackson, Tupac, Biggie — part of them lives on in their music, even though they’re not here anymore. That’s really deep, man. The only thing like that is religion.”

His Bad Boy Family Reunion tour kicks off May 20 at the Barclays Center and will feature appearances by Jay Z, Mary J. Blige, Lil Kim, Mase, Faith Evans, 112, Total, The Lox, and Carl Thomas.

Chris Brown Talks Michael Jackson

Chris Brown voiced his disappointment over actor, Joseph Fiennes, nabbing the role of Michael Jackson. The movie, Elizabeth, Michael, and Marlon, is reportedly a true story about Jackson's cross-country ride with Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando. The film, which will appear on British TV, gained widespread outrage after casting the white actor to play the African-American icon. Fiennes tried to defend the film's casting choice saying, "[He was] probably closer to my color than to his original color."

Brown, who has paid homage to Jackson during his performances throughout the years, tweeted, "I DONT SUPPORT THAT CORNY A** S***!" He added, "Y'all know y'all dead wrong to have dude play MJ. If that's the case LET ME BE SUPERMAN. Da f*** they do that at? Is that blackface?"

Neverland Ranch Up For Sale

"The Wrap-Up Magazine" this just is not a home, its Michael Jackson. The 12,000 square-foot home where Michael Jackson and his numerous exotic animals once lived is now on the market. The ranch no longer includes Bubbles (the chimpanzee) and the rest of the animals, nor are the rides still on the estate, but the property does have 22 buildings in all, including two guest houses and a six-bedroom home. There is also a 50-seat movie theater complete with trap doors on the stage for magic shows, and the floral clock and train station are are still there as well.

In 1987, Jackson purchased Neverland Ranch for $19.5 million and lived there for more than 15 years. The ranch was once at the center of a police investigation after child molestation allegations were made against the music icon. Jackson was acquitted of those claims in 2005. He passed away in 2009 at the age of 50.

Jay Z Talks Tidal, Jimmy Iovine, And Rewriting The Music Rulebook

Jay Z doesn’t give many interviews. In conversation, he often pauses mid-sentence, considers, rewinds, slices and reshapes his answer, choosing a more appropriate word or analogy that draws a finer point before revealing it to the interviewer. What’s commonly assumed is a mistrust of the press may just be that unlike his work in the studio or onstage, Jay Z doesn’t ultimately control the final result of an interview, and therefore treads more carefully while giving one.

Kobe Bryant Talks Quitting Basketball

Could this be a rumor that +Kobe Bryant may be quitting basketball? The L.A. Lakers’ Kobe Bryant has been contemplating life after basketball since he was 22. Now that he’s 36, out due to injury and close to retirement, he says he’ll play one more season and finish his two-year contract, which will net him $25 million. But his recent experience as the subject and executive producer of the intimate doc Kobe Bryant’s Muse — produced by Gotham Chopra (Deepak‘s son) and airing Feb. 28 on Showtime — has opened up the possibility of a career behind the lens. “There are so many other stories to be told,” he says, adding that he’d like to profile Phil Jackson and Apple designer Jonathan Ive.

Chopra began filming Bryant more than a year ago, before Bryant suffered a devastating Achilles injury — and the film chronicles his recovery efforts. But it also finds him at a crossroads in his life and questioning some of the choices he’s made, including putting so much time and energy into basketball at the expense of the relationships in his life. Bryant sat for nearly 20 interviews with Chopra. The result is a surprisingly revealing introspective film about an NBA star who has been under the microscope almost since the day he entered the NBA straight from high school in 1996. “It was 100 percent therapeutic,” says Bryant. “The goal from the beginning was to make a truthful film.”

You were very candid about the dark periods in your life. Was that difficult?

BRYANT It was very difficult. But there’s beauty in that process.

You were arrested in 2003 on sexual assault charges, but the case was dropped. How difficult was that to revisit?

BRYANT Those were dark days for all of us. We all kind of dreaded that day.

Gotham, what were your conversations with Kobe like before you interviewed him?

CHOPRA We didn’t talk beforehand because we didn’t want it to feel scripted. It had to feel raw and honest. It was not easy for him. It was not easy for us because you feel like you’re prying into someone’s most personal stuff. But his willingness to go there just made it feel like, now we’re doing something special.

BRYANT Probably during my second year [in the NBA]. It takes more time to keep those relationships going. I was just really obsessive about becoming one of the all-time greats. I just loved playing the game so much that everything took a back seat. But I had to make a choice. Once I made that decision, the game became everything to me.

Do you regret that?

BRYANT It depends on what day you ask me. Certain days, when things are going really well, I feel like I have everything. But on days where things are not as good, I question that.

Some of your NBA peers have dabbled in acting. Do you have any interest in a career in front of the camera?

BRYANT No, I don’t enjoy being in films. It makes me uncomfortable.

You went to the NBA directly from high school. What was it like to be thrust into this grown-up world and suddenly making a very grown-up salary? 

BRYANT It’s really hard, especially for a 17-year-old. You’re having all this money thrown at you, all this attention thrown at you. And there are a lot of leeches. It teaches you a lot about focus. What are you focused on? What are you trying to accomplish? All right, let’s weed out everything else that gets in the way of that. But at 20 years old, I was dealing with a lot. It was crazy.

You have never worked with Gotham before, but I understand you had a mutual friend.

BRYANT Yeah. He knew Michael [Jackson] very well. And Michael is one of my mentors. When I was 18, he introduced me to his muses. I had never seen a Fred Astaire film.

You watched Fred Astaire movies with him?

BRYANT Yeah, I wanted to know how he sold 50 million albums, so he walked me through how he prepares, how he trains, how he writes, how he studies.

What was the most important lesson you learned from Michael Jackson?

BRYANT That everything is connected. Whether you’re a writer, an actor, a singer, a composer or an athlete, the common thread is there. Everything around us is an opportunity to be inspired.

Randy Phillips Launches Global Entertainment

Congrads to former CEO of +Aeg Live +Randy Phillips on the launch of his new global entertainment business. Former AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips has been tapped as CEO of Global Entertainment, a newly-launched U.S. division for London-based Global, the Media and Entertainment Group. The multifaceted, “360″-styled content company will include touring, label, publishing, artist management, branding/sponsorships and marketing divisions, with new headquarters based in Los Angeles and a London office.

Touting a “real 360 content creation company that genuinely offers a vast array of services to artists, combined with Global’s financial commitment,” Phillips believes the Global model is the way of the future. “I believe that within three to five years, all of the major labels that exist will look like Global,” he tells Billboard.

Global Radio is the U.K.’s largest commercial radio company, with national stations in every genre. Global founder/executive president Ashley Tabor has used this base to create an entertainment company that now includes Global Television and Global Publishing (Ellie Goulding, Corinne Bailey Rae, LMFAO), with the latter to be part of the Global Entertainment U.S. division under Phillips.

Phillips comes to Global Entertainment after 13 years as CEO at AEG Live, where he promoted world tours by artists such as Justin Timberlake, Bon Jovi, Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Iglesias, Rod Stewart, and Prince. He oversaw the expansion of AEG Live’s Festival Division (Coachella, Stagecoach, New Orleans Jazzfest) and produced films featuring Michael Jackson, Bieber and Katy Perry. In his diverse music-biz career, Phillips also managed or co-managed Stewart, Toni Braxton, Lionel Richie and Usher, and, with former partner Arnold Steifel, launched the Gasoline Alley imprint in a joint venture with MCA.

Phillips became a major player on a global stage at AEG Live, overseeing a network of regional offices and working with such ongoing subsidiaries as Goldenvoice, Concerts West, and TMG-AEG Live. Virtually out of the gate, AEG became a global touring deal competitor to Live Nation (albeit on a significantly smaller scale), with creative marketing and promotion for a wide range of touring clients. Phillips left AEG Live amid massive restructuring at the firm following the resignation of former AEG CEO Tim Lieweke, with his departure coming in a year where the firm reported best-ever Boxscore grosses totaling $1.1 billion.

Since his exit from AEG Live, the typically outspoken, highly visible Phillips has been noticeably absent from the music scene. He tells Billboard he actually signed his deal with Global on April 1 of last year, and has spent the interim fine-tuning the model and building a roster of executive talent. “Doing a startup is different than stepping into an existing job,” Phillips says, pointing out that he has launched similar ground-up businesses in AEG Live and Gasoline Alley. “Building a business from scratch is like putting together a puzzle, the pieces all have to fit. You can’t just hire people because they have great resumes, they have to be able to work with the other people you bring in.”

In that regard, Phillips has hired a team of industry pros, including executive vp/chief financial officer Chuck Ciongoli, formally of Universal music; longtime Phillips associate David Loeffler as chief creative officer; and business affairs executive Rand Hoffman. In addition, executive vice president and urban music head Garnett March brings in his own multi-faceted joint venture entertainment company in Global/The Chemists, which steers the career of Anthony Lewis. Other senior executives are also already in place, and will be announced shortly.

In the U.K., Global boasts national radio stations in virtually every genre: Capital FM (Top 40), Capital Xtra (Urban/Rhythm), Heart (Hot Adult Contemporary), XFM (Alternative), Gold (oldies), Smooth Radio (adult contemporary), Classic FM (classical) and LBC (news/talk).  Tabor has used this base to create an entertainment company that now includes Global Television (the UK national Capital and Heart video music networks) and Global Publishing, now under the Global Entertainment umbrella.

While no Global Entertainment tours or events have been announced yet, it appears the firm is positioned to compete–or partner–with Live Nation and AEG as a tour producer and promoter on a global level. Sources cited several projects in the works, and while Phillips declines to elaborate, he tells Billboard, “It’s a new age we live in. There are no absolutes any more. They always say politics breeds strange bedfellows, well, business really does.”

In addition to Tabor, Global is led by Group CEO Stephen Miron, COO Ian Hanson, and director of broadcasting Richard Park. It is chaired by Lord Allen of Kensington.

Top 5 Hottest Janet Jackson Photos

The Wrap-Up Magazine has just released the top 5 hottest photos of +Janet Jackson. Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows.

 Beyonce and her daughter Blue Ivy dressed up as Janet Jackson for Halloween 2014. Janet Jackson hasn't watched television since her brother Michael died suddenly in Los Angeles on June 25. She has blocked herself off completely from the hysterical media coverage.

 Ten years ago, 90 million people watching Super Bowl XXXVIII saw Janet Jackson's breast for nine-sixteenths of a second. Our culture would never be the same. It would seem like a simple thing to do after listening to Janet Jackson's album and looking at her videos. Sex is the theme. Sex is obviously on her mind, on my mind, on the worlds mind.

 Janet Jackson is officially a billionaire. The Jackson family singer may have just married Qatari tycoon Wissam Al Mana, but according to some calculations from Variety, Janet was already worth a pretty penny.

Unarmed Teenager Shot

An unarmed 18-year-old black man was shot and killed by police in suburban St. Louisafter an altercation that involved two people and an officer, authorities said Sunday while hundreds of protesters demanded answers outside. Police have not officially disclosed the name of the man who was killed, but family members say it was 18-year-old Michael Brown.

Michael Jordan's 6th Game Anniversary

+Micheal Jordan anniversary for his final +NBA championship games is today. The +Chicago Bulls with coach +Phil Jackson were the best of all times thus far. Today marks the 15th anniversary of one of the greatest shots in NBA history. In Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals.

Michael Jordan crossed over on Byron Russell and hit the game-winning shot in Game 6. With the clock running out, Jordan crossed over Bryon Russell and hit the game-wining shot with 5.2 seconds left to give the Chicago Bulls the 87-86 win.