It’s funny how every pic or video you see of Jimmy he now has the Beats headphones around his neck. But really…is it even plugged in to anything?

• Dr. Dre to appear at NY Best Buy for launch of Club Beats
• Dr. Dre introduces the Lady Gaga “Heartbeats” headphones
• Apple teams up with Beats by Dre headphones
• Monster x Miles Davis limited edition headphones
• Dr. Dre partners with Best Buy for “Club Beats” retail space

Steve Stoute, the marketing go-to-guy in the industry and head of Translation Advertising (which he runs with Jay-Z), sits down to discuss what’s the latest for Translation, the deals he brokered for Mary J. Blige, and marketing deals with Jay-Z and 50 Cent.

As one of Forbe’s Top 40 under 40, Stoute continues to push hip-hop into mainstream marketing and has become one of the most powerful urban marketing execs in the advertising and marketing industry.

• Steve Stoute inducted into Advertising Hall of Fame
• Yeti Speaks: Ad Age Magazine & Rollingstone give WoooHa some love
• WoooHa featured in AdAge Eminem article
• VIDEO: Dwele’s McDonalds McCafe ad
• VIDEO: Diddy’s new MTV show “Making HIS Band” trailer

Snoop Dogg x Forbes. All these recent interviews of hip-hop stars on money and business related news shows just proves my point that the hip-hop artist is transitioning more and more into the hip-hop business man within pop culture and using music as the leverage point. In this interview with Forbes Snoop gives insight on how to start and maintain a small business.

Snoop is no stranger to small business as he has started everything from a dog clothing line, human clothing line, porn video company, film company, grocery store concept and probably fifty more businesses that we don’t know about. Oh and of course he is running Priority Records now for EMI Music Group…which hopefully will be big business for the Dogg Father.

• Snoop Dogg takes executive job at Priority Records
• PICS: Snoop Dogg’s iFizzle iPhone app hits the market
• Snoop Dogg makes mini-movie for “Malice in Wonderland”
• Snoop’s clothing line the next recession victim?
• Snoop Dogg launches own line of headphones

Jermaine Dupri x Nu Pop Movement. Readers know we tend to hate on Jermaine Dupri…but that’s all in the past now. First I give him mad props for hitting the press circuit and really pushing how much social media has helped his own business and hip-hop in general. He’s becoming a positive spokesperson for the industry and we like he even more now because his watch company Nu Pop Movement is pretty legit and the designs are fresh.

And what better way to promote your own watch company than to get artists like Bow Wow and Nelly on board. Here are two new “casual” promo shots of them showing off the goods. Check the official Nu Pop site here. See Nelly’s pic after the jump…

• VIDEO: Jermaine Dupri launches “Nu Pop Movement” watch collection
• Jermaine Dupri launches Pop Watch collection
• Jermaine Dupri Talk So So Def & Nu Pop Movement
• Video: Nelly in partnership with the Olympics’ Team USA
• Jermaine Dupri launches official TAG Records site

So it’s no surprise when we heard the news that BEP and Victoria’s Secret have teamed up to promote and perform at various fashion shows. Here is their first performance for the lingerie company at a secret fashion show. Fergie must have been in heaven with all the hot ladies around. They performed “Boom Boom Pow” while the ladies walked the runway.

• LL Cool J to guest judge “Project Runway”
• VIDEO: Kanye West‚Äôs G-Shock Performance at Cipriani
• LL Cool J guest judge tonight on “Project Runway”
• Beyonce signs ad deal with Nintendo
• NBC News hires Common & Kanye to reshape online image

• MC Hammer is Hip-Hop’s Online Social Media King
• VIDEO: Jermaine Dupri talks Twitter on CNN
• VIDEO: 50 Cent talks business on ABC’s “Nightline”
• Jadakiss promotes Twitter
• PICS: Jermaine Dupri’s Nu Pop Movement watches get Nelly & Bow Wow on board

• The failed business ventures of Damon Dash
• Damon Dash to release “tell-all” book
• Damon Dash’s BlockSavvy.com is dead
• Dame Dash introduces Tiret watches collab with Range Rover
• Mos Def and Dame Dash team up for movie

• VIDEO: Lupe Fiasco x Hewlett Packard laptop commercial
• VIDEO: Lupe Fiasco x Hewlett Packard Summit on the Summit bootcamp
• Lupe Fiasco featured in History Channel documentary
• Lupe Fiasco song “Solar Midnite” used in “Twilight: New Moon”
• Video: Clip of T.I. from the TV doc “Walking With Guns”

• VIDEO: 50 Cent talks business on ABC’s “Nightline”
• VIDEO: Jermaine Dupri talks the business of social media
• VIDEO: 50 Cent interview with BBC about drug dealing days & new book
• VIDEO: Lil Kim kicked off “Dancing With the Stars”
• Jay-Z & Alicia Keys to perform “Empire State of Mind” at World Series

Dr. Dre x Best Buy. The Jimmy and Dre team are at it again. As mentioned last week, Dre and Jimmy Iovine have teamed up with Best Buy for a dedicated retail space called Club Beats which will sell Beats by Dre gear, DJ equipment and other stuff all within Best Buy stores. To kick off the launch of Club Beats, Dre and Jimmy will be making an appearance at the Best Buy Union Square in New York this Thursday at 4pm followed by fellow Interscope labelmate Will.I.Am.

This will kick off other Club Beats celebrations all around the U.S. with other Interscope artists. I’m waiting for the announcement that Best Buy will now be called Iovine Land. Event schedule as follows:

November 13 – Miami   Local DJs; major artist TBD
November 16 – Minneapolis LMFAO
November 17 – Houston Keri Hilson
November 19 – New York City Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine, Will.i.am, David Guetta, Major Lazer and DJ Diplo
November 21 – Las Vegas Robin Thicke
November 23 – Los Angeles Lady Gaga

• VIDEO: Dr. Dre introduces Club Beats at Best Buy
• Dr. Dre partners with Best Buy for “Club Beats” retail space
• Dr. Dre introduces the Lady Gaga “Heartbeats” headphones
• Diddy launches “Diddy Beats” headphones with Interscope & Dre
• Dr.Dre Jimmy Iovine Alliance with Hewlett-Packard Computers

50 Cent x Cheetah Vision. Although 50 Cent’s first movie under his Cheetah Vision production company banner is the Before I Self Destruct movie included in the upcoming album, big things are in store and set to get bigger. Cheetah Vision has just announced it is partnering up with Action Jackson films to finance and produce 3-5 films a year starting with The Gun.

The Gun will star 50 Cent and his new BFF Val Kilmer (remember the straight to DVD Streets of Blood anyone?) where 50 and Kilmer play friends whose loyalties are tested when they get caught up in the world of illegal gun dealing. Pic will shoot in Grand Rapids, Mich., with Chris Lighty on board as a producer.

Variety reports that the script grew out of the rapper-actor’s curiosity about how guns go from being manufactured and shipped for legal use to somehow “falling into the hands of the wrong people,” Curtis Jackson said. “It’s a socially conscious theme that people aren’t paying attention to.”

Jackson said his goal in forming Cheetah Vision with Emmett was to create star vehicles — and get the chance to produce and write. This is the first of three feature scripts Curtis Jackson has written, and he feels he is getting the hang of a form much different than songwriting.

“When you write a song, you need to say it in three minutes or it is overkill, but I like creating stories and going in depth with characters,” he said.

Jackson will follow The Gun with the Cheetah Vision-produced drama Jekyll and Hyde starring alongside Forest Whitaker. While other hip-hop artists are struggling to have consistent work in Hollywood, 50 Cent has set himself up for some longevity in this town and a steady stream of acting jobs.  He might need this new revenue stream if Before I Self Destruct stalls on the Billboard charts.

• Video: 50 Cent’s “Before I Self Destruct” movie trailer
• Exclusive: The real deal behind 50 Cent’s new film company
• 50 Cent wants to get into comedy films
• VIDEO: On set of 50 Cent’s new movie “Caught in the Crossfire”
• VIDEO: Trailer to 50 Cent’s bonus movie “Before I Self Destruct”

Otherwise you get your TV ad, your online banner, you exclusive music video and that’s it. Same thing every one else is doing. But Diddy…he doing big things with Ciroc and making more money for himself in the meantime.

• Diddy extends business role with Ciroc Vodka
• Ciroc’s new drink called “The Diddy”
• Mike Jones signs deal w/ House of Dobbe Cognac
• Ciroc Vodka website revamped by Diddy
• VIDEO: Diddy on Jimmy Kimmel

Jay-Z x Fela. Jay-Z, Will Smith, and Jada Pinkett Smith present the Broadway musical “Fela!”. The trio are signed as producers for the show which is about Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s controversial life as artist, political activist and revolutionary musician. According to the New York Times, there are no widely known stars in the cast, which makes the involvement of Jay-Z and the Smiths even more of a boon for marketing purposes.

No estimates on how much the stars invested in the project but last summer the show made its world premiere off-Broadway to sold out crowds so most likely Jay-Z and the Smiths will see a large return in investment.

The three stars will make a red carpet appearance at the show’s opening night at the Eugene O’Neill Theater next Monday, Nov. 23, a publicist for the production said. Check out a preview of what to expect from the Broadway musical by pressing play.

Questlove describes the broadway musical in a statement during last years showing as;

“its uncut. its true to the vision. its amazing! there is no option. i expect death to be the only reason why you did NOT see this production”

• Jay-Z looking into the Broadway musical business
• Jim Jones wants hip-hop to go Broadway and stage plays
• Pussy Cat Doll Nicole Scherzinger joins “Phantom of the Opera” sequel
• “Thriller” the musical coming to U.S. and The U.K.
• Jim Jones developing musical about his life

In a recent interview with Billboard, Jermaine Dupri discuss the future of So So Def Records and his watch collection Nu Pop Movement.

So So Def is independent now. The brand is worldwide and for the things I want to do and the places I want to take my artists, I don’t have to have major-label backing anymore. Right now I want to help introduce my first female artist in a long time: Dondria. I found her on YouTube and on Nov. 23 I’m putting her first single out titled “You’re the One.” I’m very excited about her project. We also have [producer/songwriter] Johnta Austin’s album coming soon after.

I have a new watch, Nu Pop Movement, available now. I started this company with Pascal Mouawad and it’s inspired by pop music. Mouawad came to me with the idea. He already had a luxury line of watches with diamonds, and although people always used to think of me as the flashy money guy, I felt like I wanted to do something else. So, we’re starting with a digital watch with a big face and loud colors that runs for about $150. It’s in the same neighborhood of G-Shock and Swatch watches.

• Jermaine Dupri launches Pop Watch collection
• Dame Dash introduces Tiret watches collab with Range Rover
• VIDEO: Jermaine Dupri launches “Nu Pop Movement” watch collection
• PICS: Jermaine Dupri’s Nu Pop Movement watches get Nelly & Bow Wow on board
• I WANT THAT: Kanye West’s custom “Black-Out” Rolex

UPDATE: So we stand corrected…the producers and director of the Flavor Flav Doritos commercial just reached out to us and confirmed that Flavor Flav DID NOT enter the contest. Rather, he helped out two guys with their video submission. So the rumors out there are not true…Flavor Flav did not enter the contest himself and had nothing to do with the producing or directing of it. Check the video here.

Flavor Flav x Doritos. No…Flavor Flav is not getting paid endorsement money by Doritos to hype their annual “Crash The Super Bowl” video contest where the winning video gets $1 million. Flavor Flav actually has ENTERED the contest and has submitted his own video in hopes of winning some of that prize money.

I guess that $183K he owes in back taxes is getting hard to find. “He did this totally randomly and unprovoked,” says a source at the company. “And it’s actually pretty damn good.” Good enough to win $1 million? Next we going to have rappers trying to win McDonald’s Monopoly. Via: NY Post

• Video: Common performs AIDS testing PSA for MTV
• Flava Flav goes back to high school for new TV show
• Lil Jon’s wine wins International Wine & Spirits Award
• WIN: NBA LIVE 10 on Xbox 360
• Flava Flav gearing up for TV talk show