2008 in hip hop music

Notes

January

• The Game states that after his third album, L.A.X., he would retire.
• Crank That (Soulja Boy) by Soulja Boy breaks a ringtone record, by selling 3,000,000 ringtones.
• Freekey Zeekey states that all is well with DipSet, and they are working on new projects.
• Rick Ross says that "Trilla" will be one of the best albums of 2008, and that he and Birdman are recording an album together, as well as making a movie together.
• 50 Cent, Timbaland, Mary J. Blige, and Wyclef Jean are listed in the Albany Times Union list of steroid trafficking.
• Twista launches a new label called the Get Money Gang.
• Flo Rida breaks a digital sales record, by selling over 470,000 digital units in one week.
• Nate Dogg suffers a stroke.
• LA Reid is named Def Jam President, after Jay Z stepped down to pursue other options.
• Joell Ortiz leaves Aftermath after not being able to produce music at the rate he wanted to.

February

• Devin The Dude leaves Rap-A-Lot Records.
• A tabloid is made, that says Benzino was with Fat Joe's wife in the past, but the magazine was later found out to be fake.
• MTV's president Christina Norman leaves her position.
• The Game was given 2 months in jail because of his several incidents of violence.
• DJ Khaled releases a label under Def Jam, called We The Best Music. He signs his first artist, Ace Hood.
• Ruthless Records returns, with help from Sony. Eazy E's wife Tomica Woods-Wright is the CEO of the re-formed company.
• Nas says his album "Nigger" will be released in April.
• TVT Records (home of Lil Jon, Ying Yang Twins, and Pitbull close down after 22 years in the business.
• Lil Wayne says his album Tha Carter III will be released in April.
• Rumor has it that Jay Z and Nas are preparing for a collaboration album together.
• Producer and songwriter Static Major dies.
• KRS One and DJ Revolution sign to Duck Down Records.
• Fat Joe and 50 Cent's feud continues, with Fat Joe saying that in a fair fight, 50 would probably beat him, but he would love to send him to the dentist.

March

• Disturbing Tha Peace signs with Def Jam.
• Fat Joe and 50 Cent continue to beef, especially through the internet and through videos. G-Unit releases a mixtape called "The Elephant In The Sand".
• G Unit's legendary DJ, Whoo Kid, says he is going to retire.
• Eminem and Royce Da 5'9" cease the beef.
• Chuck Phillips of LA Times says that Diddy and Jimmy Rosemond were in on the death of Tupac Shakur, but Diddy denies the rumor.
• Jadakiss speaks on his highly anticipated debut album with Def Jam.
• Tha Carter III is set to be released on May 13, while LAX is set to be released on June 24.
• LA Times' reports that said Diddy knew about the Tupac shooting before it happened were based on fraudulent documents, but LA Times later apologized for the rumors.
• T.I. is found guilty for gun charges.
• Nate Dogg pleads guilty with the domestic violence charge.
• Remy Ma was found guilty of charges that were put against her last year, and could face up to 25 years in prison.
• Former DipSet member Max B is shot, and is said to be in critial condition.
• Nelly says that his first album in four years, Brass Knuckles, is set to be released later in 2008.
• 50 Cent talks about the fake Benzino/Fat Joe Hip Hop Weekly album cover(he says he did not create it), and fires "warning shots" at Rick Ross.

April

• KL of Screwball passes away.
• Jay-Z signs a monumental deal with Live Nation, worth $150,000,000.
• Despite the big signs Diddy made to get Notorious B.I.G., Mase, and Mary J. Blige, Diddy says that his biggest sign is Janelle Monae.
• Trina, new album "Still Da Baddest" in the number 1 on the Rap albums on Billboard

"*Tha Carter III is pushed back again, to June.

• Jermaine Dupri and TAG launch a hip hop record label
• DJ Whoo Kid says he doesn't want to retire, but he's not going to stick around until he's 40.
• The Trackmasters return.
• Ja Rule says that soon he will release his new album, The Mirror.
• Bobby Valentino leaves Disturbing Tha Peace
• The UK ban of Snoop Dogg is lifted.
• The Game moves his release date on LAX from June 24 to July 8.

May

• DMX was arrested in Arizona because of drug and animal cruelty charges.
• MTV gets hip-hop hate because of the mediocre rappers that were on the list of the best.
• Suge Knight is assaulted and hospitalized.
• Remy Ma's case gets re-evaluated, and only has to serve 8 years in prison.
• Mass Appeal Magazine calls it quits after 12 years running.
• Rumor has it that 50 Cent may soon have a deal with News Corp worth $300,000,000.
• Rick Ross's Trilla became the first hip hop album to be certified gold in 2008, due to the heavy airplay of his second single, "The Boss".
• Dunk Ryders sign to Cash Money Records.
• A G-Unit representative denies the reports of the $300,000,000 deal.
• Nas co-signs Jay Electronica.
• Nas changes his formerly "Nigger" album and names it "Nas".
• Polow da Don is named the Songwriter of the Year by BMI.
• Saigon is released from Atlantic Records.
• New York governor David Paterson pardons Slick Rick, ending his immigration woes.
• A judge orders Suge Knight to sell Death Row Records.
• Yung Joc started his own label under Jive Records called Swagg Team Entertainment, signing Chicago rap trio Hot Stylz as its first act.

June

• Trick Daddy leaves Slip-N-Slide Records, and has talks with Def Jam.
• Shakir Stewart gets promoted to executive VP of Def Jam.
• Charli Baltimore re-signs with Murder Inc.
• While in Las Vegas, Nelly held a private listening session of his new album and gave away an interesting bit of information that had to deal with a rumored supergroup forming, consisting of Akon and Pharrell.
• Nas's album name changes again, to "Untitled".
• The Game changes his release date of the album L.A.X. again, to July 22, and also says that he has made the decision to NOT make LAX his last album.
• Lil Wayne's album Tha Carter III sold well over a million copies for its first week. This feat was last done by 50 Cent's The Massacre. His debut single from the album, "Lollipop" was #1 on Billboard 100 for 5 non-consecutive weeks.
• T.I. signs 8Ball & MJG, while he continues to have beef with Shawty Lo and 50 Cent.
• A phone conversation between Young Buck and 50 Cent was released by 50, where Buck is crying, and 50 makes it seem like Buck wants back in G-Unit, but Buck says it's over a year old and comes back with a diss track to 50.
• The Orchard wins the bid for TVT Records to buy out the bankrupt label.
• Nate Dogg is arrested for terrorist threats to his girlfriend.
• DMX was arrested for not having a valid driver's license.
• The Game's album L.A.X. is once again pushed back, this time to August 26.
• 2 Pistols falls after one punch at a BET Awards pre-party from Dolla after back-and-forth disses.
• D-Block(Jadakiss, Sheek Louch, Styles P, and other less known rappers) are set to release a new album; their first group album since 2000.
• Death Row is sold in an auction after Suge Knight was ordered to sell the label; it was sold for 24 million dollars to Susan Berg.
• DJ Khaled is set to release the album We Global later in 2008. It will feature many artists, similar to his previous albums.
• BET loses the sponsorship over violence, profanity, and obscenity in hip-hop videos. (Industry Ears and CNN, Proctor and Gamble, Pepsi and General Motors pulled their ads from Rap City and 106 & Park)
• The Clipse will release their album The Re-Up Gang later in 2008, on Koch Records.
• Obie Trice is rumored to have left Shady Records.
• Snoop Dogg states that he is impressed by Detox, Dr. Dre's new album. He also says that Dre will produce his new album.

July

• 50 Cent sues Taco Bell for $4 million because the food chain had used his name without permission.
• Gucci Mane is arrested on gun and drug charges.
• Nas teamed up with Move On and Color of Change to obtain signatures to end the accusations of Barack Obama.

Albums

Release Date	Artist	Album	Notes
January 22	Big Noyd	Illustrious	Singles: "Things Done Changed"
February 26	Webbie	Savage Life 2	Debuts at #4 on the Billboard 200 Singles: "Independent", "I Miss You"
	Shawty Lo	Units in the City	Debuts at #13 on the Billboard 200 Singles: "Dey Know", "Dunn Dunn", "Foolish (Remix)"
March 11	Rick Ross	Trilla	Debuts at #1 on the Billboard 200 Singles: "Speedin'", "The Boss", "Here I Am"
	Snoop Dogg	Ego Trippin'	Debuts at #3 on the Billboard 200 Singles: "Sensual Seduction", "Life of da Party", "My Medicine"
	Fat Joe	The Elephant in the Room	Debuts at #6 on the Billboard 200 Singles: "I Won't Tell", "Ain't Sayin' Nothin'"
March 18	Flo Rida	Mail on Sunday	Debuts at #4 on the Billboard 200 Singles: "Low", "Elevator", "In the Ayer"
	Rocko	Self-Made	Debuts at #21 on the Billboard 200 Singles: "Umma Do Me", "Tomorrow"
	Sheek Louch	Silverback Gorilla	Debuts at #41 on the Billboard 200 Singles: "Good Love"
April 1	Trina	Still da Baddest	Debuts at #6 on the Billboard 200 Singles: "Single Again", "I Got a Thang for You"
April 22	Prodigy	H.N.I.C. Pt. 2	Debuts at #36 on the Billboard 200 Singles: "The Life"
	Bizzy Bone	A Song for You	Singles: "A Song For You"
April 29	The Roots	Rising Down	Debuts at #6 on the Billboard 200 Singles: "Get Busy", "Rising Up"
	Lil Mama	VYP (Voice of the Young People)	Debuts at #21 on the Billboard 200 Singles: "Lip Gloss", "G-Slide (Tour Bus)", "Shawty Get Loose", "L.I.F.E.", "What It Is (Strike a Pose)" Does not contain "parental advisory" sticker
May 13	Foxy Brown	Brooklyn's Don Diva	Debuts at #83 on the Billboard 200
	Lil Scrappy	Prince of the South	Debuts at #22 on the Billboard 200
May 20	Bun B	II Trill	Debuts at #2 on the Billboard 200 Single: "That's Gangsta"
June 10	Lil Wayne	Tha Carter III	Debuts at #1 on the Billboard 200 Singles: "Lollipop", "Got Money", "A Milli"
	Plies	Definition of Real	Debuts at #2 on the Billboard 200 Singles: "Bust It Baby Pt. 2"
	N.E.R.D.	Seeing Sounds	Debuts at #7 on the Billboard 200 Single: "Everyone Nose", "Spaz"
	Tyga	No Introduction	Debuts at #112 on the Billboard 200 Singles: "Coconut Juice"
June 17	2 Pistols	Death Before Dishonor	Debuts at #32 on the Billboard 200 Singles: "She Got It", "You Know Me"
	Blood Raw	My Life: The True Testimony	Debuts at #29 on the Billboard 200 Singles: "Louie"
June 24	Three 6 Mafia	Last 2 Walk	Debuts at #5 on the Billboard 200 Singles: "Lolli Lolli (Pop That Body)"
July 1	G-Unit	T.O.S. (Terminate on Sight)	Debuts at #4 on the Billboard 200 Singles: "Rider Pt.2", "I Like The Way She Do It"
	Byrd Gang	M.O.B.: The Album	Singles: "Splash"
July 15	Nas	Untitled	Singles: "Hero"
	David Banner	The Greatest Story Ever Told	Singles: "Speaker", "Get Like Me"

To see all the 2008 albums released, click here