Rapper Kanye West is developing a new puppet show project for Comedy Central. A 30-minute pilot for "Alligator Boots" has already been shot. West has teamed up with comedians Jimmy Kimmel

Rapper Jay-Z led the tributes to Kanye West's mother on Sunday night, by dedicating his New York gig to the late Dr. Donda West. The 99 Problems hitmaker marked the end of his concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom with a moment of silence for the 58-year-old, who died on Saturday after suffering complications from cosmetic surgery.

Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos will pay homage to its distinctive music heritage with the launch of a limited-edition CD series, Mark Ronson Presents Hard Rock, curated by DJ/producer Mark Ronson.

Tickets are now officially on sale for Lollapalooza 2007, August 3-5 in Chicago’s Grant Park. Among the 120-plus artists are behemoths Pearl Jam — in their sole U.S. show this year — as well as Daft Punk, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, Muse, Iggy and the Stooges, Interpol, Kings of Leon, Modest Mouse, My Morning Jacket, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Perry Farrell’s Satellite Party, Snow Patrol, The Roots, Paolo Nutini, Femi Kuti and The Positive Force, and many more.

BET announced today that Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, Young Jeezy, T.I. & Young Dro, The Game, Lil Wayne & Baby are set to perform at the 2006 "BET Hip-Hop Awards." The all-star roster of participants also includes multi-faceted entertainment mogul Diddy, top nominees Lupe Fiasco and Rick Ross, hip-hop diva Remy Ma, Jim Jones, Rhymefest, Sway, Papoose, DJ Scratch, DJ Drama, Saigon and Styles P.

For the first time ever, MTV2, together with Asylum records, will release a My Block: Chicago – The Soundtrack on October 10 and feature 15 tracks by some of the hottest and most respected artists from the Windy City including Common, Lupe Fiasco, Twista, Kanye West, and much, much more. MTV2's "My Block: Chicago – The Soundtrack" showcases essential tracks from Chicago's celebrated hip-hop history as well as exciting, fresh new sounds from the streets of Chi-town.

Since winning a Grammy in 2004 for co-writing Kanye West's "Jesus Walks," along with the release of his first single (and Dave Meyers-directed video) "Brand New," -- and countless exclusive mixtapes in between -- Rhymefest has been dubbed the "one to watch" by critics and fans alike. Now with the July 11 release of Blue Collar, Rhymefest will showcase his lyrical veracity and versatility and live up to the accolades.

With the humor of Biz Markie, the lyrical viciousness of Kool G Rap and the storytelling brilliance of Slick Rick, Grammy Award winning rapper Rhymefest is confirmed to release his highly anticipated major label debut album Blue Collar on July 11 on Allido/J Records.