Tupac Shakur

A gold, ruby and diamond crown ring worn by rap legend Tupac Shakur during his last public appearance sold for $1 million at auction in New York on July 25.

The winning bid was well above Sotheby's pre-sale estimate of between $200,000 and $300,000 and becomes the most valuable hip-hop artifact ever sold, the auction house said.

Bobby Caldwell, a soulful R&B singer and songwriter who had a major hit in 1978 with "What You Won't Do for Love" and a voice and musical style adored by generations of his fellow artists, has died, his wife said on March 15.

Mary Caldwell said that he died in her arms at their home in Great Meadows, New Jersey, on March 14, after a long illness.

He was 71.

Madonna asked a judge on July 18 to block an auction of memorabilia including a breakup letter from rapper Tupac Shakur, saying the intimate items were stolen by her former friend.

Audiences will again have the chance to see a “live” performance by… Whitney Houston, thanks to a projected funded by US-based Greek-Cypriot billionaire Alkis David.

No, it’s not cloning, but a life-sized hologram being created by a company owned by the bottling heir.

In the backstreets of a run-down Tel Aviv neighbourhood, three Sudanese immigrants blast hip hop from mobile phones and rap about the broken promises of life in the Promised Land.

The youngsters travel regularly from southern Israel to meet in its commercial capital, home to tens of thousands of illegal African migrants, and to pursue their dream of becoming rap superstars.