The upcoming cover of XXL Magazine highlights the long standing success of Def Jam Records and hits news stands October 27th. Issue includes a deep look at the artists and the players behind the label. Via: NahRight

Kid Cudi x Hip Hop All Star. Cudi lends a helping hand to promote the Hip Hop All Star iPhone app which is a DJ pad scratch based game but with some serious backers including DJ Green Lantern. The app is now available on the iTunes store.

We all know basketball players want to be rappers and rappers want to be basketball players but this is getting a little crazy. Carmelo Anthony has just launched a social networking site that sounds VERY similar to an existing hip-hop artist’s social networking site.

Yea…Melo has named his new website ThisIsMelo.com which is not to be confused with ThisIs50.com but the actual site is pretty different. If only there was some more creativity behind the name…something like MeloManAce.com or MeloDrama.com Via: The RapUp

T-Pain x I Am T-Pain. While artists search for new ways to make money outside of actual album sales, T-Pain has already tapped into the lucrative iPhone app business. According to app developer Smule, T-Pain’s “I Am T-Pain” iPhone app has already been downloaded 300,000 times in just three weeks.

At a price of $2.99 per download that’s almost a gross of a cool million dollars. Not bad for a little app that everyone thought was just a gimmick. Regardless of a gimmick or not…it’s T-Pain that is laughing his way to the bank. Via: Mashable

Diddy x BlackBook. In an effort to promote their iPhone application, BlackBook magazine has teamed up with Diddy. According to Billboard, BlackBook has partnered with the hip-hop mogul to create Diddy’s BlackBook. The guide offers Combs’ favorite U.S. hot spots as well as editorial reviews of 15,000 shops, restaurants and clubs across 50 cities worldwide. As part of the launch Diddy also graces the cover of this month’s BlackBook. Diddy’s BlackBook is available now on iTunes for free.

Trick Daddy x Magic City. Trick Daddy has been working on his upcoming autobiography “Magic City: Trials of a Native Son” for some time now but he assures his fans that it will be worth the wait. He recently revealed that the book is almost “98 percent” finished and will be released at the top of next year via MTV/Pocket Books.

“The book is my lifestyle and what I’ve seen,” Trick Daddy said of the upcoming book. “It’s like the autobiography of the whole Miami, before me and while I’m here. It’s the Scarface, The King of New York, The First 48, all the things you’ve ever heard about Miami all in a bubble. All raw, it’s real and respectable to the point it will make you think, so that’s how it was. It’s 98 percent wrapped, pressed, and ready to go.”

Aside from the autobiography Trick Daddy is also busy getting ready to release his first graphic novel about the superhero called Nann. Artists signing book deals is nothing new but recently there have been a flurry of hip-hop artists signed to major publishers to write more of these graphic novels, memoirs, autobiographies and lyric books more than ever before. Jay-Z’s recent book deal with Random House calls for three books to be published and Q-Tip is set to release “Industry Rules” later on as well.

Beatnuts x Deez Nuts. Last week the mighty mighty Beatnuts performed their off-Broadway performance called “Deez Nuts” for three days.  Here is some video footage from the performance….Via: Broken Cool

B.O.B. x Mickey Factz x  NBA Live. The heat is on as both NBA Live 10 and NBA 2K10 both hit stores tomorrow. While 2k10 has been dropping weekly videos featuring artists on their soundtrack, EA and NBA Live has been focusing on their mixtape promotion to create the buzz. Finally though…a day before it releases, NBA Live drops this new trailer. Via: Smoking Section

Which one are you gonna get? NBA Live 10 or NBA 2K10?