Paid Dues Festival Canceled

The Paid Dues festival has been canceled for 2014. Rapper Murs announced the cancellation, revealing that financial concerns prompted the decision. “First I’d like to thank all of you for your patience. This announcement has been a long time coming,” wrote Murs on Facebook. “I regretfully announce that Paid Dues will not happen this year. 2013 was financially challenging for my partners at Guerrilla Union, and as a direct result of these unfortunate circumstances we were not able to come together to give you another successful Paid Dues Festival. However, I am using this time to restructure my business in order to bring you Paid Dues for 2015.”

Last year’s festival featured headliner performances by Black Hippy and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.

2 Chainz Reacts to Funkmaster Flex Calling Out His Freestyle

Late last month, when asked who was behind the worst freestyle ever spit on his radio show, Funkmaster Flex attributed the unflattering designation to 2 Chainz. “Honestly, I think I caught him off guard. I think he didn’t expect me to ask him to do it. Because I’ve heard him on shows free styling before, so I knew he could handle it. But I think that day, he couldn’t handle it,” said Flex on EPSN2’s Highly Questionable.

The southern performer has since responded to Flex’s remarks and naturally, he’s less than pleased about the host’s choice. According to MTV, during a recent concert, the Atlanta-based rapper said, “I don’t give a f— what Funkmaster Flex gotta say about this n—- from Atlanta.”

T.I.’s and Game’s Entourages Involved In Incident With LAPD

The entourages of rappers T.I. and Game were reportedly involved in a standoff with LAPD outside Supperclub LA. The incident stemmed from the venue’s security staff refusing to allow a few entourage members inside. It was first reported by TMZ, which obtained video clips that show the two groups standing outside and T.I. saying to police, “Is this a crime scene? Y’all got a lot of people to beat up. We got good lawyers.”

Responding to the episode, the club distanced itself from the security personnel involved, releasing a statement that read: “An unfortunate escalation between an angry onlooker who was denied entry to Supperclub, and a rogue security officer who took matters too far, led to an untenable situation which represented the worst in all of us. The third party security company that was hired for this outside promotional event, is not a part of Supperclub Los Angeles, and will never be booked by Supperclub, or the venue’s outside promotional vendors again.”

Joe Budden Set to Battle Hollow Da Don (Trailer)

A trailer (see it below) has been released for the upcoming event, Eminem Presents: Total Slaughter, during which Joe Budden will battle rap against Hollow Da Don, and Loaded Lux will face off once again against Murda Mook.

“I’m a passionate battle fan, so this is something I’ve always thought about doing,” said Eminem to RollingStone.com. “I came up battling at the same time I was making records and learning my way around the studio. It’s a little bit different in terms of the kinds of tools you need, but the competitiveness is the same.”

The event aims to bring nationwide attention to the art of battle rapping. It will take place in New York City on July 12. A four-part reality series called “Road to Total Slaughter” will be released in the weeks ahead of the event, showcasing eight artists involved in the event and the preparation involved.