Selena Gomez Makes It Clear: There's No Beef With Miley Cyrus

Selena Gomez Makes It Clear: There's No Beef With Miley Cyrus

Selena Gomez wants to make things clear: She has no beef with fellow Disney teen sensation Miley Cyrus for posting YouTube videos bashing Selena and "Camp Rock" star Demi Lovato.
"Dealing with the press is something that you've gotta start getting used to," Gomez told MTV News, "and you know people want something to talk about, so they're going to have the two Disney girls — or three Disney girls — kind of feuding.
"There's no feud — there's nothing to feud about, so why start a fight?" she continued. "It's something that we all have to live with, and unfortunately it involves friends."
Of course, Miley later apologized for making the videos, but recent media chatter about Gomez being "the next Miley" has only added to the drama.
"I'm not interested in being anybody but myself, and I'm not here to replace anyone," Gomez said. "I think that she's a wonderful performer, and of course it's a compliment. But I would like to take a different route."
Gomez said she already has a plan, and it may not include the Disney family. "Acting is definitely my passion all the way," she said. "I would love to step out of Disney and maybe do a couple of roles — maybe challenging roles and fun roles, new things like that," but she quickly clarified that she'll "always be with my Disney Channel family." (Not least because she's got a record deal with Hollywood Records.)
One thing that Selena is really looking forward to is the opportunity to vote in 2012. Until then, she's out there spreading the word and working with the campaign UR Votes Count and letting young people know it's cool to vote.
"I'm very excited to be supporting it. It's basically educating teens on why it's important to vote and what's going on in the nation and what's going on the world," she said. "So as a teen it's a huge responsibility to think about who I want to run our country. So I think kids don't really get that, so I would love to educate them more on that."

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Miley Cyrus' Breakout Bows At #1 But Doesn't Come Close To Lil Wayne's Million

Miley Cyrus' Breakout Bows At #1 But Doesn't Come Close To Lil Wayne's Million

When the world's most famous 15-year-old releases a record, chances are it's going to sell like ice cream in hell. So, heading into this week, it was pretty much a given that Miley Cyrus' first studio album not to feature the words "Hannah" or "Montana" in the title would open as the nation's best-selling release on next week's Billboard albums sales chart. The one thing no one could predict, however, was exactly how many copies Breakout would end up selling.
The answer, according to Nielsen SoundScan sales figures, is: not nearly as many as you might imagine. Given the fact that Cyrus' visage graces the T-shirts of millions of tween girls and her Disney Channel series has accrued a rabid following, you'd have thought Breakout would crush the 1 million-plus sales generated by Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III, 2008's biggest first-week performer. But it didn't even come close.
The teen star's second #1 debut — Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus put up week-one sales of 326,000 last summer — sold close to 371,400 copies during its first week on store shelves. For Cyrus, selling 371,400 records is still a tremendous achievement, especially for someone so new to the music industry. In fact, Breakout is the second-biggest seller of any release from a female artist this year, right behind the 463,000 Mariah Carey's E=MC2 sold during its first week of commercial availability. And as past Disney-associated releases have shown, Cyrus' record could end up being a grower, and not a first-week sales shower.
Country act Sugarland's Love on the Inside is a distant #2 with 313,600 debut-week scans. Those weren't the week's sole newcomers to the top 200, just the only two to crack the top 10. They join the "Mamma Mia" soundtrack at #3 (with 168,000 sold); Kid Rock's Rock N Roll Jesus at #4 (92,800); Wayne's Tha Carter III at #5 (85,200); Coldplay's Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends at # 6 (74,700); the "Camp Rock" soundtrack at #7 (66,600); Nas' Untitled at #8 (63,300); Now That's What I Call Music!, Vol. 28 at #9 (37,000); and Taylor Swift's Beautiful Eyes at #10 (35,100).
There are 18 other new releases to discuss, including Nine Inch Nails' Slip, which enters the chart at #13 after selling 29,100 copies. The self-titled debut EP from One Day As a Lion, the latest project from Rage Against the Machine frontman Zack de la Rocha, follows NIN at #28, scanning 17,200 copies its first week in stores. Candlebox return at #32 with Into the Sun, which generated sales of 14,400, while R&B singer Noel Gourdin's After My Time follows at #36, with debut-week sales of 13,700. U2's Live From Paris bows at #54, scanning 10,200 copies, and Counting Crows' Live From Soho enters at #66, with 8,600 sold. Slightly Stoopid's Slightly Not Stoned Enough to Eat Breakfast Yet Stoopid enters at #73 with 8,200 scans, and Pepper's Pink Crustaceans takes the #83 spot, selling 7,400.
The Classic Crime's Silver Cord enters the chart at #123, after selling 5,800 units, while the Black Kids' Partie Traumatic follows at #127, with 5,500 sold. Hell Rell's Black Mask, Black Gloves: The Ruga Edition debuts at #131, thanks to 5,400 scans. Sky Eats Airplane's self-titled offering fills the #172 slot with 4,000 copies snatched up. Austrian Death Machine's Total Brutal follows at #179, with 3,700 sold. Lastly, coming in at #189 with 3,400 scans, is CSS' Donkey.

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Kanye West Joins Lil Wayne, Bemoans Nine Inch Nails Face-Off At Virgin Fest

Kanye West Joins Lil Wayne, Bemoans Nine Inch Nails Face-Off At Virgin Fest

BALTIMORE — Fans got more than they bargained for at this weekend's Virgin Mobile Festival — more Kanye, anyway.
Not content to close out the two-day festival with his headlining Sunday slot, Mr. West stormed the stage earlier in the day, joining Lil Wayne for a meeting of hip-hop's hottest. Maybe 'Ye was pulling double duty to outshine the legends (Bob Dylan, Iggy and the Stooges), big rock veterans (Foo Fighters, Stone Temple Pilots, Nine Inch Nails, Offspring), and upstarts (Paramore, Jack Johnson, Duffy) who took the Virgin stage over the weekend at Pimlico Race Course.
Rocking a Louis Vuitton backpack, West joined Weezy on Sunday afternoon to spit his verse from the "Lollipop" remix without skipping a beat. The collabo was the high-energy point of a blistering, better-late-than-never performance. Showing up a half-hour late for an hourlong set would be a cardinal sin for most artists, but Weezy more than made up for it. The crowd chanted his name and even booed briefly while waiting for his set, but it was all love once Lil Wayne hit the stage. Wayne came with a mix of old-school, new-school and a lot of gratitude. "How many of y'all got Tha Carter III?" he asked. "I f---in' appreciate you."
He even took time to honor Static Major, asking for a moment of silence for the late rapper and songwriter before jumping into the song that catapulted Wayne from an underground mixtaper to an undeniable mainstream superstar. After welcoming Kanye up for "Lollipop," Wayne wrapped his set with even more gratitude and some laughs, lip-syncing to Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" before leaving the stage.
While Wayne's day was done, Kanye was just getting started. He returned to the stage later that night like a hurricane, shrouded in flashing lights and fog. Fans threw up their Roc-A-Fella diamonds early and held them high all night. No irony was lost on 'Ye, who made it a point to prove his authenticity before jumping into "Diamonds From Sierra Leone."
"I work real hard at this rapping sh--," he said. "This is real rap."
Kanye dove into a set spanning his entire career, from his most recent verse from Young Jeezy's "Put On" to his humble beginnings on "All Comes Down," asking fans to "scream so loud I can't hear the music" if they knew the song.
And, of course, 'Ye talked, touching on everything from his mother's death to Barack Obama's nomination to crime in the festival's host city of Baltimore. He freestyled as well, expressing his gratitude for fame and his frustration that comes along with it. The raw emotion was undeniable. "I lost my mama/ I went through so much drama/ I went through so much drama/ I'm for Obama," he rapped. He then described his journey over to Pimlico Race Course, noting the flashing blue lights above cameras stationed throughout the 'hood and being content with the fact that even though many Baltimore natives couldn't afford to attend the concert, they could still see and hear the show from the parking lot outside the gates. He also shouted out MySpace, the Internet and Lil Wayne before beginning "Touch the Sky."
West took a bit of a jab at the festival's schedule, specifically the choice concertgoers had to make between his performance and one from Nine Inch Nails happening at the same time at the other end of the park (a dilemma faced by fans at Chicago's Lollapalooza a week earlier). "It's not a black-or-white thing, it's not a rap-or-rock-and-roll thing," he exclaimed. "It's a good-music thing. We jam about good things from the heart. How can you pick between me and Trent Reznor?"
But at the end of the day, Kanye's focus all came back down to his fans. Again freestyling, 'Ye expressed his eagerness to please those who came out to support him. "I hope you had a good time ... f--- that, the time of your life!" And with diamonds high in the sky and screams that could be heard around the block, the crowd's enthusiasm matched Kanye's (no easy feat).
The day before, it was up to West's fellow Chi-Town native Lupe Fiasco, who had fans bobbing their heads and singing along to "Superstar" and "Kick, Push." Despite technical difficulties, Lupe aimed to please, shouting after his microphone problem was resolved, "Let's hype this bitch back up, all right?" Given the amount of crowd-surfing during his set and the volume of fans chanting his name when he left the stage, he seemed to succeed.
But the weekend wasn't all about hip-hop. The Foos, the Stooges, Paramore and NIN brought the rock, but the guitar heroes of the day might have been Stone Temple Pilots. Taking the stage later than expected (thanks, Weezy), STP seemed to be the picture of reunification. The band was completely in sync thanks to its current 65-date tour. The focus wasn't mainly on themselves, though. Scott Weiland shared the love, shouting out those sharing the bill. "What a great day of f---ing music!," he gushed. "How about Iggy and the Stooges? And Nine Inch Nails are coming up!" He also had love for the crowd. "What a sea of energy," he exclaimed just before the crowd sang and bobbed along to every note of the band's breakthrough hit "Plush."

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50 CENT - YAYO BEGS HIS MUM TO MOVE

50 CENT - YAYO BEGS HIS MUM TO MOVE

50 CENT's G-UNIT sidekick TONY YAYO is begging his mother to move out of "the hood" after thugs riddled her home with bullets.The rapper insists the home was just a random target and his mother doesn't have a price on her head - but he's desperate to find her a safer place to live.The only problem is his proud Haitian mum wants to stay where she is in Queens, New York.Yayo says, "She don't want to move. I begged her plenty of times... (but) my mom's values are different. She feels like she prays and she's got God on her side."I'm trying to explain to her, `Mom, I'd rather somebody come and shoot at me than shoot at the house for no reason.'"Ironically, Yayo's mother lives just a block away from where 50 Cent was shot nine times in a pre-career attack on his life.50 says, "She's still staying in the same area. She should have listened and moved."

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Back To The 'Bash' With T.I. : Mixtape Monday

Back To The 'Bash' With T.I. : Mixtape Monday

First off, I'm so tired of hearing about that Brett Favre! My Giants knocked you out the box last year. Packers, just trade him already. I hate turning on "Sports Center" every night and hearing about this dude. ... OK, now let's get to the business at hand. This week, we're not bringing you our traditional mixtape pick of the week. It's time to step back to look at some of the best things we've been a part of, listened to or watched so far this year. We'll be doing so periodically for the rest of the summer. In the first installment, how could we not shout out the best ensemble one-off show of the year?
The Birthday Bash concert held last month in Atlanta was just plain foolery! My partner in crime, Rahman Dukes, and I went down and had a chance to behold the Dirty South putting on! It was one for the record books: surprises by Usher and Kanye West, Gucci Mane pulling out his ridiculous jewelry, and that giant poster Shawty Lo hung onstage proclaiming, "A new King has been born," classic. Tip's and Jeezy's performances go without saying, and Plies really surprised us. Enough yapping, check it out in the above video. Next week, we're bringing you the new mixtape by one of the most controversial men in hip-hop. He recently had his own birthday bash.

'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar

» The Game (featuring Lil Wayne) - "My Life" » Pleasure P - "Luckiest Man" » Lloyd (featuring Plies) - "Year of the Lovers"» Joe Budden - "Who (Part 3)" » Max B - "Cake" » Re-Up Gang - "Money"
Celebrity Faves
Jermaine Dupri supplied tracks to Nas' Untitled way back when it was still called Nigger. Although the young, fly, flashy and very successful producer didn't make the cut, he's still a fan of how Esco hasn't let his lyricism diminish and continues to set an example for other MCs.
"I think he really sees the game needs him," JD opined. "I can see it in his face and body that he's in a place where he knows the game needs him. I think [the album] is hot. Nas is definitely an album maker."

The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground

Last week, Nas told MTV News that he was dreaming about doing entire albums with Dr. Dre and DJ Premier. There's one other person he wants to go for an extended play with, a collaborator who may be a little easier to wrangle than the two production greats: his wife, Kelis.
"Me and my wife was thinking about doing this record together," he said.
Nas also said that since he has so many unreleased records in the can, it would be very logical to put out a Lost Tapes 2. But let's be very clear, the Queens legend isn't pulling the plug on Untitled anytime soon. It was the #1 album in the country in its first week of release, and more singles are coming. "Hero," produced by Polow Da Don, set the table for him.
"I was almost gonna not do a single, but I wanted a song I could hear in the clubs, 'cause I knew the album didn't have that," he said of the last-minute addition to his project. "I wanted a song that I could hear when I'm poppin' bottles. That's what 'Hero' was for me. Polow was one of my favorite guys; he's just a nice-ass guy. ... I was like, 'No single, no video. Let's just make this a record that we talk about.' "
Nas said he did take into account the people's opinions.
"Fans would have been like, 'But why he did it like that?' "
One of the songs that stick out to Nas from his new album is its (un)title track.
"I look at a lot of people who died trying to fight for freedom, like Che, Malcolm, Martin, Gandhi, all the way to Bunchy Carter, the Panthers," he explained. "So many different people from all over the world. And that just made me go, 'Damn.' You know, everybody says, 'Why'd they shoot down the people who are righteous? Why do they shoot down the people who just want things to be right?' It makes everyone scared to stand up. So even if you don't believe with [Louis] Farrakhan's beliefs, you gotta say the man dedicated his whole life to standing up for something that he believed in.
"He is proof that you can live to be old," Nas continued. "Not saying, 'Go say what Farrakhan is saying,' that's that man. But if you have something that you have to say, but you feel like ... your life is threatened cause of it, and you need examples [look at Farrakhan]."
On the track, Nas rhymes about standing up for his own convictions.
"In the beginning [of the song], it says, 'No revolutionary gets old/ Or so I'm told/ You're left full of bullet holes when you tell the people go free/ Oh? It's just a matter of days before they come and get me .../ I stood in the face of damnation. Satan, spat at 'em, flat out disgraced em.' Meaning, no matter who you are, say what you feel. Be who you supposed to be. If you gonna be the resistance, then be that resistance. Do what you have to do. Don't be scared to die, is basically it in other words. And if you are scared to die, here's a great example to go to: people like Farrakhan, people like Jim Brown, so many people, Muhammad Ali ... Ice Cube, yo! Crazy sh--." ...
You know Albert Daniels as Brooklyn from the 2006 coming-of-age flick, "ATL." But in reality, Al Be Back (his hip-hop moniker) is from the Bronx, New York, and spent his early years as an aspiring MC under the wing of BX icon, Big Pun.
"Pun was my family," Back told us. Pun hooked him up with Chris Robinson, a video director who made his directorial debut with "ATL." Back is making his own movies now, on wax. He's shopping a deal, but already has co-signs from heavyweights such as Kanye West and KRS-One. The Blastmaster and MC Lyte appear on Back's song "16, 17, 18." Al Be's new single, "Love You More" (shout out to Tina Marie on the sample), debuted recently on New York radio station Hot 97 and last week, we have a little somethin'-somethin' for you. Take a look at the homie's new video, "Come On." You tell us if you think he's nice.

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Tyrese Gibson Doubts Shia LaBeouf's Injury Will Delay

Tyrese Gibson Doubts Shia LaBeouf's Injury Will Delay

SAN DIEGO — Shia LaBeouf is currently recovering at Cedars-Sinai Hospital from extensive hand surgery, as well as injuries to his knee and head caused by a car accident in Hollywood on Sunday morning, but the "Indiana Jones" star won't be getting any sympathy cards from his "Transformers" co-star Tyrese Gibson, who downplayed the incident when MTV News caught up with him on Sunday at Comic-Con.
Asked if there were any contingency plans in place given the early word that LaBeouf might be in the hospital upwards of a month, Gibson scoffed: "A month? He won't be in the hospital for a month. He just hurt his hand. He can afford a private nurse."
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" had a buffer window built into its hectic shooting schedule early on, given fears of a possible SAG strike last month. Whether that buffer will be used to accommodate LaBeouf's potential absence is unknown, but for now, production is moving full steam ahead, Gibson said.
"Right now, there's only three films being shot in this country," he proudly declared on where production stood at the moment. "We got two and a half more months. I just did two night shoots in a row out there in Long Beach. We rolling, man. Right now, we rolling."
A Paramount spokesperson had no comment when MTV News asked how long filming could be delayed due to LaBeouf's accident.
LaBeouf was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and released. A statement from his spokesperson indicated he had plans to return to "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" within the month.
As for what we can expect out of the highly anticipated sequel, Gibson said he's most looking forward to, well, more of himself.
"Go on the Internet — a lot of the fans out there were like, we want to see more of my presence in the film, and the studio and Michael Bay heard that, so Michael's been putting the camera on me a lot more Epps in that film," he revealed. "So thank you all for those e-mails. I appreciate it."
To prepare for his expanded role, Gibson confessed that he called for help from a trusted friend. Could it be, then, that the most important addition to the "Transformers" crew isn't a new Decepticon or Autobot but — Will Smith?
"Will Smith and I have been working out every day," Gibson said. "Because of that, I've lost 46 pounds for this movie."
On the subject of new cars in the film, Gibson was decidedly more mum, although he did reveal that, like with the first film, director Michael Bay was working with car manufacturers to get the very latest designs.
"We have some cars in this film that you will not be seeing into 2011, and that's top-secret. You won't be able to buy them until 2011, they already in the film. Crazy," Gibson said.
It's a philosophy of "more" and "bigger" embraced by Bay but never before seen on this scale, Gibson said.
"There's way more robots, way more craziness. Once again, you are going to see some things that are Oscar-worthy as far as special effects," he said, smiling. "I'm just honored to be a part of it."
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" opens June 26, 2009.

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'Twilight' Exclusive: Stars Kellan Lutz, Ashley Greene To Reunite For The Film 'Strife'

'Twilight' Exclusive: Stars Kellan Lutz, Ashley Greene To Reunite For The Film 'Strife'

MTV News has exclusively learned that Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene have signed on to "Strife," a film set to begin production in a few weeks. The movie will arrive in theaters next year, shortly after audiences will have seen Lutz and Greene as Cullen clan members Emmett and Alice, respectively.
Directed by filmmaker Omid Shabkhiz, "Strife" tells the story of three friends struggling with day-to-day life in the drug- and gang-infested streets of Los Angeles. Caught in a world of violence and tragedy, they struggle to discover the hope and love that can help them persevere.
The burly, charismatic 23-year-old Lutz is set to play Jagger, a smooth-talking but troubled young man who gets caught in his own game when he falls into debt. His desperate actions set much of the film's plot into action.
Meanwhile, the sweet-smiling Greene has been cast as Trish, a well-educated girl who hits the streets of Los Angeles with the best of intentions. Passionate about women's rights and social awareness, Greene will be a stark contrast to Lutz's character.
She'll also be the voice of reason for the film's third lead, a man named Lorenzo, played by up-and-comer Kyle Schmid ("The Covenant," "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants"). Schmid's character is a privileged young man from a wealthy family who nonetheless has to fight temptations as he tries to remain loyal to his friends.
The reunion of Lutz and Greene should please the army of Twilighters, who are likely to be intrigued by the thought of their squeaky-clean franchise stars getting gritty in an independent film. While Lutz's career is taking off with roles on the new "90210" TV show and HBO's wartime drama "Generation Kill," his role in "Strife" should allow him to balance "Twilight" with an impressive show of versatility. The 21-year-old Greene, meanwhile, will be landing in her most prominent film role yet after several years of TV work on shows like "Shark" and "Crossing Jordan."
As of press time, we could not confirm whether Greene will be allowed to grow her hair long again before the film begins production. We also could not confirm whether the film would take extra security measures to keep the Lutz-obsessed Web site Kellmett-Happens.com away long enough to let their so-called "Princess" do his job.
"Strife" will be produced by Christopher Peters, Peter Banifaz and director Shabkhiz. It is due to begin filming in September, with more actors to be announced over the next few weeks.
Every Tuesday is "Twilight" Tuesday here at MTV News! Check back here each and every week for the hottest scoop on the film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's beloved vampire series, and we'll still bring you breaking "Twilight" news throughout the rest of the week. And make sure you check out the MTV Movies Blog for our ongoing "Twilight" discussions each and every day.

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Kanye West And MTV Hear Veterans' Stories -- And Help Them -- In 'Homecoming,' Airing Tonight

Kanye West And MTV Hear Veterans' Stories -- And Help Them -- In 'Homecoming,' Airing Tonight

and MTV's Sway Calloway surprise three veterans with visits to their homes. Kanye and Sway listen to their stories, thank them for their contributions to the country, and then help the vets confront their challenges, including debt and adjusting to civilian life.
"There are hundreds of thousands of veterans who have fallen through the cracks," Kanye says in the show. "I wanted to hear their stories."West is visibly moved by the veterans' stories. "This past year I suffered a lot of losses," he says, referring primarily to the death of his mother, Donda. (The MC's Dr. Donda West Foundation and MTV are providing most of the money for the gifts to the veterans.) "I know my music inspires people, but you can always do more."
One vet, 25-year-old Tirann Laws from Oklahoma City, suffers from post-tramautic stress disorder and has found himself in debt and having difficulty holding down a job. He says he wants to return to school. West and MTV offer him that opportunity — but as grateful as Laws is, Kanye also finds himself changed by the experience. "You make me want to improve myself," West says. "We thought I'd come in and be an inspiration to you and lift your spirits, but actually you're inspirational to me because I'm going through a lot of losses."
Next up, Kanye meets with aspiring rapper Lorenzo Zarate, 24, at his home in Austin, Texas. Zarate's wife has a baby on the way, and the couple say they are just weeks away from being forced to leave their home. During the visit, Kanye and Zarate find common ground in Zarate's home studio — "I remember those days," Kanye reminisces — and he plays a bit of "Can't Tell Me Nothing" on Zarate's keyboard. Then the gifts are revealed: paying six months' rent, a new microphone, a week of studio time and an internship at a local radio station.
Like Zarate, 24-year-old Shameeka Gray of Charlotte, North Carolina, came back from war and found herself in tremendous debt, but must devote most of her time to caring for her young son. Kanye related to Gray over the subject of death; she said it was when someone in her company died that she realized she could die too.
Kanye said, "Sometimes it's definitely easier to not even accept death and just act like you're in a bad dream and you could wake up from it." Gray's gift is paying off her credit card debt, and setting up a college-tuition fund for her son.
Profiles for all three vets (Shameeka Gray, Tirann Laws and Lorenzo Zarate) are available on the Choose or Lose site, where viewers can also interact with the veterans and find ways to take action on these issues and share their own thoughts on the subject.
"Choose or Lose & Kanye West Present: Homecoming" airs tonight (Monday, July 28) at 10 p.m. ET on MTV.

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Fabolous, Clipse, Maino Weigh In On How Rick Ross' Alleged Prison-Guard Past Might Affect His Career

Fabolous, Clipse, Maino Weigh In On How Rick Ross' Alleged Prison-Guard Past Might Affect His Career

Rick Ross says he's laughing at the bloggers. Well,some bloggers certainly are taking liberties with the Miami MC's recent corrections-officer scandal .
Since TheSmokingGun.com reported earlier this week that the rapper was once a prison guard, some people have been posting Photoshopped pictures of Ross on various police-movie posters. There's Ross' head on RoboCop's body, Ross' head replacing Martin Lawrence on a fake "Big Mommas House poster, Ross' face replacing Sylvester Stallone's on a faux "Cop Land" poster — you get the picture (no pun intended). Meanwhile, the message boards have been heating up with talk of rap's Biggest Boss. Some people are confused, while some have vilified him. This is the same guy whose music they were pumping just two weeks ago. His music is still just as banging as it was prior to this scandal, and from the two freestyles he just dropped, his skills have not diminished. So the question is: With so many people having bought into Ross' 'hood-legend persona, has this dance in the rumor mill created a rift between Ross and his fans that can't be patched up?
"I think real n---as won't think so," the Clipse's Malice said a couple of days ago in New York when asked if this episode will hurt Ross' credibility. "That don't mean what he's talking about [in his rhymes] ain't true. The thing I wish is he came clean, if in fact that is him [in the photos]. 'Cause you ain't gotta make no excuses for whatever you did. You might have thought differently at one point in time. I don't think that should discredit that man."
"I'm not even going to go that far into it," said Mal's brother, Pusha T. "I don't know what it's gonna do to him, what it can or what it should do to him. I know the hip-hop community has given passes for much [worse]."
Fabolous suggested that his Def Jam labelmate keep making hits and not to let the banter get to him.
"I don't know if it will really hurt him," Fab said on the set of Ryan Leslie's "Addicted" video. "As an artist, I think Rick Ross makes great music. He's always shown me love and respect whenever I met him. Everybody has a past. I don't know if [being a prison guard] is his past or not. That's not my place to say. I think if he continues to do what he does, sweep all that garbage under the rug — you know what? That's success. That's success taking a shot back at him. All of a sudden past pictures come up. He should just keep doing what he do."
Maino, on the other hand, wasn't as forgiving. During a recent listening session for his album, he gave his opinion on Ross. (The footage was posted on Blogxilla.com.)
"I'm disappointed," the Brooklyn MC said when asked about Ross. "I'm really disappointed. I pride myself on being 100 percent who I am. If I went to college and had a job before, I would just say that. ... Him, in my opinion, I just think he should have just addressed it. ... 'Look, man. I was 19. It was a part of my life. ... I got to the coke later.'
"I don't have a problem with what he was doing before the rap game," Maino added. "That ain't my beef with him. The thing is, he was denying he was doing it. He said [the pictures] was Photoshopped and wasn't real."
Fat Joe didn't speculate on the authenticity of the pictures, but he did give a little insight into Ross the person. "He's a great dude. He's my friend," Joe said. "We'll just wait to see what [else] he has to say about it."
In n videotaped interview that recently hit the Web, Rick Ross denied ever being a prison guard.

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