SWIZZ BEATZ GETS "HAUTE" WITH M.I.A.

Sohh.com Reports: Grammy-winning producer Swizz Beatz has decided to link with U.K. rocker M.I.A. to help in assisting with his upcoming Haute Living studio album.

According to reports, both artists will exchange each other's services for their own albums.

M.I.A. and Swizz Beatz have created magic with a range of talented artists, separately, which is why we were excited - and anxious - to hear that the two were collaborating. A rep from Swizz Beatz's camp has confirmed with Billboard's The Juice that Beatz and M.I.A. are recording music for each other's upcoming albums, M.I.A.'s yet to be titled album and Beatz's "Haute Living." (Billboard)

In-studio footage of Swizzy and M.I.A. hit the Internet heading into the weekend.

Swizz Beatz and M.I.A. posted a photo of themselves in the studio on 4/20, and now video taken at the same session has hit the 'Net. In the clip, a blond MIA asks Swizz, an avid art collector, about the Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring painting he has in his home. The 'Money in the Bank' rapper then showed off tattoos of both artists on his arm as well as of Shepard Faireyand Andy Warhol. (The Boom Box)

CHINGY REVEALS REAL REASON BEHIND 3-YEAR MUSIC HIATUS

Sohh.com Reports: With plans to put out a new album later this year, St. Louis rapper Chingy recently reached out toSOHH and revealed the reason behind his three and a half music hiatus.

Chingy said changes in his personal life ultimately forced him to step away from the music spotlight over the past few years.

"When I was gone for the three and a half years, off the scene, people really got to understand that I have a personal life and in that personal life I lost a lot of close people to me," Chingy toldSOHH. "I lost three of my closest friends, I lost my auntie, I lost my little cousin, I lost my girl cousin, I lost my granddaddy, I lost a couple of friends. People don't see that. They just see that you don't have a song on the radio and you don't have a video. They don't see your real life and the things you go through. A lot of these people [no longer being around] hurt me and I didn't even want to make music. I was kind of sick of the whole life. I just got sick of it. I was still working on music but I just didn't care about being in the light because I was going through so much. And with going through that and having to deal with all these fake rumors that were fabricated, I was going through a lot and people didn't know saying, 'Oh, he doesn't have a song or CD out.' They're not seeing what I'm going through and can't see my personal life. They're on the outside looking in." (SOHH)

Back in full effect, Chingy assured SOHH his relationships with past rap rivals Nelly and Ludacris were on track once again.

"Me and Nelly are cooler," Chingy added. "Me and Nelly are straight. I was just at a party with Nelly here in St. Louis. Me and Ludacris talk. We've e-mailed each other back and forth and talked about different things. So everybody is cool. It comes to a point where you have to realize life is too short to be tripping on some dumb little bull crap that ain't gonna get you nowhere. A person is going to be here one day and then they can be gone the next. You can't be tripping off all that nonsense in the past and all that ignorant and petty stuff. Our relationships are cool. Me and Nelly are cool, me and Cris are cool. Everything is good, everybody is moving forward trying to work and live." (SOHH)

KANYE WEST & JAY-Z BUCKLE UP BEYONCE FOR "LIFT OFF"

Sohh.com Reports: Grammy-winning rappers Kanye West and Jay-Z are reportedly still at it with their forthcomingWatch the Throne joint album and have recruited Beyonce to appear on the project's first official single. 

According to reports, Jay's wife will lend her vocals for their "Lift Off" track.

If you thought "H.A.M" sucked and thought that Watch The Thronething wasn't happening anymore, think again. Kanye West and Jay-Z are preparing for "Lift Off," the first single from their highly anticipated long-awaited collaborative album, and have snatched up Beyoncé and Bruno Mars for the Jeff Bhasker-produced number impacting radio and your iTunes music library sooner than you think. Yeah, that definitely explains the random trips to Paris. (Complex)

Producer Young Guru provided fans with an update on the LP in March.

"Right now, I'm really trying to get Jay and Kanye to hurry up and finish this Watch The Throne album because the world needs to hear it," Guru said in an interview. "It just needs little tweaks and things like that. But the core of the album is finished...Kanye takes what [contributing producers do] and adds on to it and I think that's his genius. I say this all the time 'Kanye records are never the same twice, while he's making them because they always grow." (VIBE)

LUPE FIASCO POWERS DOWN BLOGOSPHERE, "I WISH I NEVER FOUND THE INTERNET"

Sohh.com Reports: Grammy-winning rapper Lupe Fiasco recently opened up about his issues with the Internet and why the online platform is more distracting than beneficial to him.

Fiasco specifically pointed out blogs as one of the more damaging features of the Internet.

"Sometimes I wish I never found the internet. Sometimes I regret getting a laptop and Wi-Fi for logging into the internet because it is such a distraction. If you have any addictive personality, the internet will magnify it. You have to be careful on the internet. You'll look up and be like, 'D*mn, it's been six hours.' I'm still trying to figure out a way to take [web browser] Safari off my laptop. With the blogs, it's like high school. I wasn't the most popular person in high school, it was like 50/50. Some people liked me, some people didn't, some people really didn't f*ck with me." (XXL Mag)

He also said the ability to leak music online also turns him away from the Internet.

"Naturally, I'm going to go with people who like me and I'm going to stay away from the people who don't fuck with me but when people go out of their way not to f*ck with me then I'm going to go out of my way not to fuck with them. I'm going to feed off your energy. If I know that they are being dishonest or malicious, then I can't fuck with them like that. My first record leaked months before it came out. It send everything into a tizzy and fucked up a lot of the momentum I had. That left me a little salty with the internet as a whole. Don't steal." (XXL Mag)

Rapper BO$$ In Need Of Kidney Transplant

Allhiphop.com Reports:  Former Def Jam female rap artist BO$$ is hoping to utilize the power of social networking to find a potential donor for a kidney transplant. 

Sources told AllHipHop.com that BO$$, born Lichelle Laws, was suffering from a pre-existing medical condition called renal disease. 

Renal disease is a medical condition that causes the kidneys fail to adequately filter toxins and waste products from the blood.

A source close to the rapper said BO$$ is currently undergoing dialysis on a regular basis, but is now in need of a transplant. 

She turned her attention to Facebook.com, after hearing a local news story about a man who found a donor, after his wife posted an urgent message on Facebook.

Friends of BO$$ recently launched the "Rappers Need Kidneys, Too" campaign with Todd davis and 8055 Records. 

The campaign is aimed at spreading the word to all potential donors for BO$$, in addition to raising awareness about kidney diseases within the rap community. 

BO$$ is best known for her #1 hit single "Deeper and Deeper," which was released in 1993.

Ice Cube Faces Off Against Coors Light Cans In New Ads

Allhiphop.com Reports: West coast rap vet Ice Cube has been tapped by Coors Light to star in a new advertising campaign "Super Cold Summer," promoting the beer's new design. 

Ice Cube stars in two spots for Coors Light, which is promoting its new "two-stage activation" bottles and cans, which makes it easy to tell how cold the beer is, before consumption. 

Starting this month, Ice Cube will be featured in one ad titled "Cold Talk" and another named "Cold Challenge." 

In both commercials, Ice Cube is in a stand-off with a Super Cold Activated Coors Light, over who is colder. 

According to reps for Coors Light, Ice Cube's ads along with nine other new TV spots are slated to start airing nationwide, this month. 

G-Note Rapper/Singer Hot Rod Drops 'Osama Bin Laden' Dance Track

Allhiphop.com Reports: Although it has been less than 24 hours since President Barack Obama made the announcement that Osama Bin Laden has been killed, Hot Rod, a popular rap artist/singer on 50 Cent's G-Note label wasted no time in releasing a tribute song.

Hot Rod dropped the dance track "Osama bin Laden is Dead" earlier this morning (May 2nd) on 50's website, Thisis50.com.

The pulsating club track features Hot Rod sining the chorus: "Osama was killed tonight/so everybody come and have a good time/Great news made me lose my mind/so tonight I'm gonna have a good time…"

Hot Rod is the first artist signed to 50 Cent's G-Note Records, which is an offshoot of his successful G-Unit Records imprint, which is currently distributed by EMI. 

Check out Hot Rod's song "Osama bin Laden is Dead" below: