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T.I. was arrested last week in Los Angeles for drug possession and open use. The rapper, real name Clifford Harris Jr., was stopped in his car after police smelled marijuana smoke coming out the window. His wife Tameka ‘Tiny’ Cottle was also with him and had “a handful of pills resembling ecstasy.”

Although the rapper was released from jail after posting bail and is yet to be formally charged, the police are currently testing the confiscated pills, and if he’s found guilty he could end up behind bars. It’s not the first time the rapper, famous for hits like Be Easy, Bring ‘Em Out, Front Back, Big Things Poppin’ (Do It), Live Your Life and Swing Ya Rag, has been in trouble with the law – but recent appearances at schools talking about the pitfalls of drugs and violence seemed to show he was trying to move forward.

T.I. is currently in the studio working on his seventh studio album.

When Drake went public with his hopes of persuading Wiz Khalifa to join him on his upcoming Light Dreams and Nightmares Tour, everyone in the hip hop world expected the young rapper to jump at the chance. So it was a big surprise when Khalifa came back with a polite ‘thanks, but no thanks.’

The 22-year-old rapper explained that he was flattered by the offer, but wants to focus on his solo commitments for now – including his own upcoming Waken Baken Tour. “Just the fact of me being on his radar is tight, to me,” he said. “But I think to keep me poppin’ and keep me relevant I gotta stay buildin’ on top of what I’m doin’ and what I been doin’, I gotta keep focusin’ on what it is.”

Drake, who has scored hits with singles like Best I Ever Had, Successful, Every Girl (with Lil Wayne), Over, Find Your Love and Miss Me, says the tour will still go ahead as planned, but hasn’t ruled out getting in another rap support act. It starts on 21^st September at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida.

Rap star DMX is no stranger to prison. In fact, he’s been inside three times in the last two years. So it was no big surprise when he was sentenced to 90 days for a probation violation on July 26^th 2010. Instead, the big surprise is that he’s already been released!

The rapper, famous for chart hits like Get at Me Dog, Party Up, Lord Give Me A Sign, Y’all Gonna Make Me Lose My Mind and Where the Hood At?, as well as for his appearances in films like Romeo Must Die and Cradle 2 the Grave, was released from Los Angeles County prison on 14^th August – just eighteen days after being sentenced!

His previous stints in jail have been for a variety of offences, from drug possession to animal cruelty to driving under the influence, and he has been arrested twice on probation violations. The rapper, who has not released an album since 2006’s Year of the Dog…Again, is now expected to check into rehab. Note for all DMX fans! If you are bored with your rintgone, please check DMX rintones on mobijoy.com

Willard Christopher Smith, Jr., better known as simply Will Smith (or ‘The Fresh Prince’), is an American rapper and hip hop singer, as well as a highly successful actor and film producer.

Born 25^th September 1968 in West Philadelphia, Smith took an interest in hip hop music from a young age. In his late teens he teamed up with childhood friend Jeffrey Townes to form the hip hop group DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. They were soon signed to Word Up Records and released their debut hit single Girls Ain’t Nothing but Trouble, followed by the album Rock the House, shortly before graduating from high school.

After signing to Jive Records, the group released their second album He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper in March 1988. It reached the Top 5 on the Billboard 200, selling over three million copies in the US alone and produced the hits Summertime, Nightmare on My Street and the Grammy Award-winning Parents Just Don’t Understand. The group released a further three albums in the late 80s and early 90s – And in This Corner…, Homebase and Code Red – scoring hits with singles like I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson, Ring My Bell and the UK number one hit Boom! Shake the Room, before Smith embarked on his solo career.

After appearing in the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and the hit films Independence Day and Men in Black, Smith released his debut solo album Big Willie Style in November 1997. It reached the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 and produced the international number one singles Men in Black and Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It, as well as the Hot 100 Top 20 hits Just the Two of Us and Miami.

Since then Will Smith has released a further three studio albums – Willennium, Born to Reign and Lost and Found – selling millions of copies worldwide and producing hits like Wild Wild West (ft. Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee), Will 2K (ft. K-Ci), Black Suits Comin’ (Nod Ya Head) (ft. Christina Vidal) and Switch.

Carl Terrell Mitchell, better known by his stage name Twista (formerly Tung Twista), is an American rapper and record producer.

Born 27^th November 1973 in Chicago, Illinois, Mitchell signed to Loud Records in the early 1990s. He made his debut as Tung Twista with the 1992 album Runnin’ Off at da Mouth, which produced the singles Mr. Tung Twista, No Peace Sign and Ratatattat – although none of these charted. At this time Mitchell held the title for fastest rapper in the world as, according to the Guinness World Records, he was able to pronounce 11.2 syllables per second. The rapper, now known as simply Twista, subsequently released his second album Resurrection in 1994, although due to marketing conflict with fellow rapper Common’s album of the same name, it was only released in the Chicago area.

In 1996, Twista teamed with fellow Chicago act Do or Die on the Billboard Hot 100 Top 30 single Po’ Pimp, and earned himself a new contract with the major label Atlantic Records. He released his third album with the label, entitled Adrenaline Rush, in June 1997. It reached number 77 on the Billboard 200 and produced the Hot Rap Singles chart Top 15 hits Emotions and Get It Wet. This was swiftly followed by 1998’s Mobstability, which featured the hip hop group Speedknot Mobstaz and produced the number seventeen rap single In Your World, and in the late 1990s he also set up the label Legit Ballin’ and appeared on the compilation album Legit Ballin Vol 1: The Album.

Since the turn of the century Twista has released a further five studio albums – Kamikaze, The Day After, Adrenaline Rush 2007, Mobstability II: Nation Business (ft. Speedknot Mobstaz) and Category F5 – which have all reached the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 (with Kamikaze reaching the top spot). During this time he scored a Hot 100 number one hit – Slow Jamz (ft. Jamie Foxx and Kanye West) – as well as two further Top 20 singles – Overnight Celebrity and Girl Tonite (ft. Trey Songz) – and four Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart Top 20 hits – So Sexy (ft. R. Kelly), Hope (ft. Faith Evans), Hit the Floor (ft. Pitbull) and Wetter.

Twista’s eighth solo studio album The Perfect Storm is due to be released on 5^th October 2010.

Jonathan Mortimer Smith, better known by his stage name Lil’ Jon, is an American rapper, hip hop singer, musician and record producer.

Born 27^th January 1971 in Atlanta, Georgia, Smith’s first job in the industry was as a producer with So So Def Recordings. In the mid-90s he set up the hip hop group Lil’ Jon & the East Side Boyz, alongside Sam ‘Big Sam’ Norris and Wendell ‘Lil’ Bo’ Neal, and in 1996 they signed to Mirror Image Records. The following year they released their debut Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album, which produced the singles Who U Wit? and Shawty Freak a Lil’ Sumthin’.

The group followed up with the album We Still Crunk!! – released in August 2000. The lead single I Like Dem Girlz debuted at number three on the Hot Rap Singles chart and helped the album make an impression on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. This was followed by 2001’s Put Yo Hood Up, which produced the singles Who U Wit, Bia’ Bia’ (their first entry on the Billboard Hot 100) and Nothins Free, and then 2002’s Kings of Crunk, which charted inside the US Top 20 and produced the group’s first US Top 10 single Get Low (ft. Ying Yang Twins). Finally there came Crunk Juice, released in November 2004, which reached number three on the Billboard 200 and produced the Top 5 single Lovers & Friends, as well as the hits What U Gon’ Do and Real Nigga Roll Call.

After disbanding the group in 2004 to focus on production and solo work, Lil Jon worked on a number of hit urban singles, including Salt Shaker by Ying Yang Twins, Yeah! by Usher and Shorty Wanna Ride by Young Buck. Then, on 8^th June 2010, he finally released his debut solo album Crunk Rock. To date it has produced one single: Ms. Chocolate.

Juaquin Malphurs, better known by the stage name Waka Flocka Flame, is an American rapper originally from New York City.

Malphurs was born in July 1986 in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. His mother, Debra Antney, is the CEO of So Icey/Mizay Entertainment and the manager of rapper and hip hop artist (and Malphurs’ bandmate) Gucci Mane.

Malphurs took an interest in music from a young age and by his early teens – by which time his family had moved to Riverdale, Georgia – he was already rapping in public. He was given the name Waka by a cousin and the name Flame by his friend and future bandmate Gucci Mane.

The rapper released a series of mixtapes in 2009 and early 2010. His first was Lebron Flocka James (ft. DJ Teknikz), but this was soon followed by Shootin The Breeze Cookin That Fire (ft. DJ Cannon, DJ Banyon and DJ Dyce), Salute Me Or Shoot Me (ft. Trap-A-Holics and DJ Ace) and Lebron Flocka James 2 (ft. Trap-A-Holics). He started work on his debut solo album Murda-Man Flocka at the beginning of 2010 and, despite being shot in the arm by a robber in January, the album is still scheduled for release sometime later in the year. The lead single, O Let’s Do It, was released in June and reached the Top 10 on the US Billboard Rap Songs chart, as well as charting at 62 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart.

Since early 2010 Malphurs has also been a member of the rap group 1017 Brick Squad – also featuring Gucci Mane, OJ Da Juiceman, Frenchie and Wooh Da Kid – and they are currently producing their first mixtape. Most recently, Malphurs has appeared on Lil Jon’s debut solo album Crunk Rock, rapping on the single Throw It Up, Pt. 2 (Remix).

Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, better known as Kid Cudi (or KiD CuDi), is an American hip hop singer and rapper.

Born 30^th January 1984 in Shaker Heights, Cleveland, Ohio, Mescudi began rapping in his late teens – and soon moved to New York City to pursue a career in music. He recorded his first mixtape in 2008 and made a deal with the American streetwear brand 10.Deep to release it as a free download. Available from July 2008, A Kid Named Cudi quickly gained industry attention and within weeks Mescudi was signed to the singer Kanye West’s record label GOOD Music.

After helping to write songs like Heartless and Paranoid for West’s chart-topping 2008 album 808s & Heartbreak – as well as contributing vocals to the track Welcome to Heartbreak – Mescudi was tipped for big things in 2009 by magazines like Rolling Stone, The Source and Vibe… and was even selected as one of the up-and-coming acts in the BBC’s Sound of 2009 poll.

After touring with the rapper Asher Roth in July and August 2009, the singer released his debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day in September. It reached the Top 5 in the US Billboard 200 and sold over 100,000 copies in its first week of its US release alone. The lead single Day ‘n’ Nite reached number three on the Hot 100 and number two in the UK, achieved over two million downloads in America and was nominated for a number of awards, including two Grammys and an MTV Video Music Award. This was followed by the singles Make Her Stay and Pursuit of Happiness.

Kid Cudi’s second album, Man On The Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, is due for release in September 2010. Two promo singles have been released to date: REVOFEV and Erase Me.

Cali Swag District is an American hip hop/rap quartet from Inglewood, California, consisting of DJ C-Smoove, Yung, JayAre and their resident dancer M-Bone.

After a number of successful auditions, the boys were assembled into a group in 2009 by the rapper (and subsequent group manager) Big Wy – famous as an ex-member of the 1990s Death Row Records hip hop group Young Soldierz. Cali Swag District was then signed to the Capitol Records division Checkmate Music Group later that year. This enabled them to be set up with renowned in-house producers like PolyRob, Solini, Disko, Jay Hustle, Drums and GX, so they could record some sample tracks. In late 2009 the group headed into the studio in earnest to begin recording their debut album.

Cali Swag District shot into the limelight in early 2010 with their debut single Teach Me How to Dougie - despite the fact it was not released until May. After being uploaded to the video sharing site YouTube, the song became a huge online hit, quickly producing buzz on a number of internet music forums both in the US and across Europe. Within a couple of months the group’s YouTube video had been viewed in excess of two million times.

Due to its incredible online popularity, the group’s label decided to release the song as both an official download and physical single on 25^th May 2010. Teach Me How to Dougie debuted at number one on the US Billboard Heatseekers chart, as well as in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. After a couple of weeks it even managed to make its way onto the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, eventually climbing all the way to number 63.

The group’s much-anticipated debut studio album is due for release sometime in late 2010/early 2011.

The Roots are an American hip hop band from Philadelphia, currently consisting of Tariq ‘Black Thought’ Trotter, Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson, Frank ‘F. Knuckles’ Walker, ‘Captain’ Kirk Douglas, Damon ‘Tuba Gooding Jr.’ Bryson, Kamal Gray and Owen Biddle. The group has had another ten members throughout its history.

Formed in 1987 when rapper Trotter and drummer Thompson met in Philadelphia High School for Creative Performing Arts, the group was originally known as The Square Roots. They self-produced an album called Organix in 1993, which earned enough industry buzz to get them signed to DGC Records.

Their first major label release was the EP From The Ground Up in 1994, and this was swiftly followed by their debut album Do You Want More?!!!??! in January 1995. Although not a commercial hit (it reached only number 102 on the Billboard 200) it produced three critically-acclaimed singles: Distortion to Static, Proceed and Silent Treatment. The album is now considered a classic of the 1990s hip hop jazz genre.

The group first achieved mainstream success with their third studio album Illadelph Halflife. Released on 24^th September 1996, the record reached the Top 40 on the Billboard 200 and produced the Hot Rap Singles chart Top 20 hits What They Do and Clones. This was followed by their 1999 breakthrough album Things Fall Apart, which reached number four on the US charts and was nominated for a Best Rap Album Grammy. It produced the award-winning single You Got Me and The Next Movement, which Randall Roberts of the Riverfront Times called “one of the best singles of the ’90s.”

The group released four more albums during the 2000s – Phrenology, The Tipping Point, Game Theory and Rising Down – and scored hits with singles like The Seed (2.0), Don’t Say Nuthin’, Don’t Feel Right, In the Music, Rising Up and Birthday Girl.

The group’s eleventh album How I Got Over was released in June 2010.