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Rap’s Top 20 Richest Artists Revealed

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First things first: Do people still say the word “bling”? Or is that term a relic of a bygone era? Either way, it’s no secret that there is a lot of money to be made by becoming a global hip-hop icon these days. So much so, in fact, that a normally hoity-toity magazine like Forbes has been putting together lists of the Top 20 Hip-Hop Cash Kings since 2007. To that end, the high-falutin’ magazine is putting its fawning coverage of Wall Street robber barons in a temporary holding pattern as they focus their efforts on counting down which rappers are making the most cheddar in 2010.

While you most certainly won’t be surprised to find out that Jay-Z currently holds the title as hip-hop’s wealthiest mogul — he raked in some $63 million last year, no big whoops — you might be surprised when you hear that Lil Wayne places fourth on the list, this despite the fact that he’s been behind bars since March. Hilariously, Weezy’s actually on track to earn more money this year ($20 million) than he did last year ($18 million).

Check out our gallery below to find out who else made the list (and how much they took home). Only one question remains: If hip-hop’s wealthiest don’t spend money on “bling” anymore, what do they spend it on?

Lil Wayne’s Prison Life Is Not Terrible

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Hey, Lindsay Lohan! You can cheer up about your ninety day stint in jail, it may not be so harrowing after all. Not if it’s anything like Lil Wayne’s description of prison. Lil Wayne’s year-long sentence actually seems like 365 days off, full of catching up on correspondence and sleep. In the latest post on his blog, he writes:

I know that people are inquisitive of what I do all day, so here goes. I wake up around 11AM. Have some coffee. Call my kids, and my wonderful mother. I then shower up. Read fan mail. Have lunch. Back on the phone. Read a book or write some thoughts down. Have dinner. Phone. Pushups. Then I listen to ESPN on the radio. Read the bible, then sleep. That’s my day.

If that’s prison, someone arrest and sentence me for weapons possession, too, I could use the time to catch up on my Exercise On-Demand videos and plow through that list of library books. Oh, and Lindsay, that’s life at Riker’s Island, one of the harshest prisons in the country. L.A. County Jail will be a piece of cake compared to that.

[Photo: WENN]

Lil Wayne Sued While Serving Time

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Lil Wayne is currently in jail, where he’s serving a one-year sentence for attempted criminal possession of a weapon. The good news is that he’s expected to be released after eight months if he serves with good behavior (which hopefully mean 8 months until The Carter IV). The bad news is that that jailbird rapper has been hit with $500,000-plus suit by Jim Jonsin, the producer of his Grammy-winning song “Lollipop.”

Jonsin claims that the star hasn’t coughed up any of the royalties owed to producer for his work on the hit song. Wayne’s already in jail; it’d be wise to pay up before more trouble comes his way. Stay tuned for more of the legal drama.

[Photo: GettyImages]

Lil Wayne Not Signing Autographs In Prison

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Lil Wayne started serving his year-long prison sentence this week for weapons possession, but don’t think he’s getting any special treatment in the big house. Wayne has been ordered not to sign autographs for his fellow inmates during his stay at the Rikers Island correctional facility, lest you think he was offering up signatures to avoid becoming someone’s prison wife.

A rep from the Correction Officer’s Benevolent Association explained, saying  ”Lil Wayne is not a celebrity in here.” So folks, if you’ve noticed an abundance of paraphernalia with a Riker’s logo and Lil Wayne’s autograph floating around on eBay, consider yourself lucky, there’s a limited quantity to go around.  [Photo: Getty Images]

Lil Wayne Finally Heading To Jail Today

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Lil Wayne had quite a few strokes of luck regarding his jail sentence. He was supposed to head to the big house a month ago for felony gun possession, but fate and dental surgery intervened and his sentencing was postponed not once, but twice. Will the third time be a charm? He’s supposed to head for lockup today, assuming all goes as planned.

The first delay was the result of eight root canals Wayne had to undergo in order to get a clean bill of dental health before serving his time. Then, a fire at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse last week prevented his sentencing once again. The fire was a result of faulty electrical wiring - there was no funny business involved, you conspiracy theorists! The fire not only benefited Lil Wayne, but fans at Jay-Z’s Madison Square Garden concert on March 2, they were treated to a cameo appearance by the rapper that night.

We’ll keep you updated just in case extenuating circumstances or acts of God somehow prevent this sentencing from happening today. At this point, anything is possible. [Photo: Getty Images]

Lil Wayne’s Dental Woes

59480459Last week we speculated that Lil Wayne was getting oral surgery before heading to prison in order to remove the diamonds from his teeth. Turns out, Wayne went in for more painful surgery that has nothing to do with his precious stones. The man had to endure eight (yes, EIGHT) root canals yesterday to correct several tooth implants and add a few more new ones.

The procedure, which lasted eight hours, might have sounded like an easy way to postpone his jail time and get an extra three weeks of freedom, but now that we know the details it seems less vacation-y and more nightmarish. What we really want to know though is did the diamonds cause all this tooth decay, or are they there to hide a pre-existing condition? It’s truly like a chicken-and-egg question for our times. [Photo: Getty Images]

Lil Wayne’s Get Out Jail Free Card: His Diamond-Covered Teeth

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We mourned Lil Wayne’s year-long jail sentence earlier this week, but now it looks like we can dry our eyes and save our tears. The rapper’s trip to the slammer has been put on hold for a month due to his teeth. Yes, the man who has over $150,000 of diamonds permanently covering his choppers has to have oral surgery before he heads to the big house, and a NYC judge has bumped his sentencing day to March 2nd so he can fly to Miami to attend to his dental drama.

Wayne has previously said of his oral gems, “I can go to the dentist and switch them out, but it’s surgery.” Which makes us wonder - is he popping out his dental diamonds before he heads to jail? Surely those rocks would garner big bucks on the black market, which may make them a dangerous item to bring into the clink. Though they may come in handy if he wanted to try to chew his way out. Either way, we’re just thrilled we getting a lil bit more Wayne for the time being, ice-covered teeth and all. [Photos: GettyImages]

5 Reasons We’ll Miss Lil’ Wayne While He’s In Prison

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Lil’ Wayne will be heading to prison tomorrow to serve a one-year sentence for felony gun possession, and even though we think no crime should go unpunished, we’re sad for the void he’ll leave in our lives for twelve months. Wayne has been busy recording The Carter IV and only just released his rock album Rebirth last week, so there won’t likely be a shortage of his music in 2010, but what of the antics we’ve grown to love? We’ve come up with a few ghosts of Lil’ Wayne’s past that we plan to revisit whenever we need of healthy dose of Dwayne Carter Jr.

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Pop Stars Update “We Are The World” For Haiti

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Though noticably short on rock stars (Rob Thomas may pass for Steve Perry, but Joel Madden does not pass for Bruce Springsteen), Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie assembled an impressive array of talent for their 25th anniversary re-recording of “We Are The World” Monday night. Among those appearing on the single to benefit Haitian relief efforts are Akon, Will.I.Am, Beach Boys Brian Wilson and Al Jardine, Tony Bennett, Justin Bieber, Toni Braxton, Miley Cyrus, Celine Dion, Jamie Foxx, Tyrese Gibson, Josh Groban, Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson, Keri Hilson, Jennifer Hudson, Enriquie Iglesias, Wyclef Jean, the Jonas Brothers, Kid Cudi, Gladys Knight, LL Cool J, Katharine McPhee, Jason Mraz, Pink, Carlos Santana, Nicole Scherzinger, Snoop Dogg, Jordin Sparks, Barbra Streisand, Usher and Kanye West, who was undoubtedly on his best behavior after that Hope For Haiti snub.

While Lil Wayne has revealed he covered Bob Dylan’s vocal, the full singing order has yet to be revealed (we’re pretty sure Vince Vaughn redid Dan Ackroyd’s part, though). Check out photos from the recording, which was shot in 3-D for release later this month, in the gallery below.

[Photo: WireImages]

Lil Wayne To Start Year In Prison Week After Album Drops

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A Manhattan judge declared today that Lil Wayne will begin his year-long prison sentence for a gun possession charge on February 9th, coincidentally a week after the scheduled release date for Rebirth, Wayne’s oft-delayed follow up to The Carter III—the best-selling album of 2008. Wayne was present at the hearing, but said nothing to the court or press.

Wayne’s legal woes won’t end with this prison stint. He’ll be tried next March in Arizona for a 2008 arrest involving multiple drug and weapon charges, and he still faces multiple lawsuits for missed shows in New York and the Bahamas. Rebirth’s February 1st release date was announced earlier this month—it was first scheduled to drop last April.

[Photo: Getty Images]