Russell Simmons x GlobalGrind. Russell Simmons has been really focusing on his GlobalGrind site the past year or so and the hard work has been paying off as traffic has been steadily increasing each month. Now they are going into the digital short arena kicking things off with the 8 week series “Hustles with Russells” featuring Affion Crockett as Simmons’ double. Check the teaser trailer.

Jay-Z x Absolut. Looks like Jay has moved on from his Armadale Vodka and has teamed up with Absolut for this “NY-Z” documentary. Check the brand new trailer for the doc.

T.I. x Twitter. Fans across the globe were going loco over the fact that T.I. officially opened a “verified account” @tip with Twitter shortly after serving his prison sentence. Even his girl Tiny was all about it. After Lil Wayne’s recent Twitter push and then news of this, we automatically speculated that something was going on here and that possibly the Twitter execs got their hands on T.I. as well. Turns out we were wrong…it’s not the Twitter execs pushing T.I. to have an account, it’s the label execs. At least they were open about it so we can make sure not to expect daily Tweets from T.I.’s life.

“He’s not into Twitter,” says his spokesman, “but it’s what we use to alert people.”

More like the label will use it to alert people. This just brings up an interesting point though on how effective Twitter really is as a marketing tool. Do people really care about T.I. updates via Twitter through the label? Imagine how much more effective his account would be if it was T.I. who doing the actual updating…at least get a ghost-Twitterer…hottest job in America right now. Via: Rap-Up

Ras Kass x Save the Ras Kass. Rapper lyricist Ras Kass has been in the hip-hop game for a bit now with some what “iconic” status here on the West Coast. Unfortunately that hasn’t turned into financial success as Ras Kass has faced multiple record label and legal issues in the past. Now, after being released from jail a year ago, he is stepping up his marketing campaign and building it all around “Save the Ras Kass.”

The viral campaign is centered around “bringing awareness to the endangered lyricist crisis” with a focus on quality hip-hop and lyrics. Things kick off with a series of viral videos (check the trailer above)…as well as the official SaveTheRasKass website.

Lil Wayne x Twitter. The way Lil Wayne is promoting his new Twitter account one might suspect that the heads of Twitter are paying him a hefty sum for the publicity. In just a week since Lil Wayne created his new “verified” account under the name LilTuneChi, over 200,000 fans have already signed up boosting overall Twitter traffic for the social media company and garnering millions of dollars in free publicity impressions.

Both Lil Wayne and Twitter reps have not mentioned any profit sharing deal but it would not be anything new for Twitter to hire celebs. Back in August of 2009, rumors were running wild that Diddy was close to signing an advisory role with Twitter to help promote the company and increase traffic. The rumors were later confirmed when Diddy officially turned the role down. In regards to Lil Wayne, his upcoming stint to prison would be the perfect marketing opportunity for Twitter to cash in on. Check the video to see how hard Lil Wayne continues to push Twitter and even Twitter t-shirts and decide for yourself.

The Gorillaz are back and ramping up their marketing efforts for the upcoming “Plastic Beach” music video. Here are a couple of internet video ads currently being passed around teasing the single. More after the jump. Via: TheRapUp

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Pharrell x BBC/Ice Cream. Pharrell’s highly successful BBC/Ice Cream clothing line has been a global hit both in his trademark stores and online shop as well. But due to various shipping and operational issues, BBC/Ice Cream was limited in Europe to physical store sales only as web purchases were restricted to the US. Well now all that has changed as Pharrell expands his clothing line empire and the current online store is set up for European sales. Check the site to see Pharrell in all his pencil mustache glory.

Kid Cudi x Kid Cudi.com. When Cudi deserted Twitter in December he promised his fans that all official updates would come from his blog at kidcudi.com. Problem was Cudi hardly ever even updated his blog leaving millions thousands of fans clueless as to the daily dealings in Cud-ville.

Well Cud-fans rejoice! Cudi is back on his blog with new dedication kicking things off again with a look at his recent trip to Australia. Now that the whole Ning thing seems to have faded, we see a shift back to the personal blogs for hip-hop starting with Kayne’s revamped blog.

J Dilla x Stussy. And here is the final part of the Stussy funded documentary on J Dilla. Make sure you also check Parts 1 and 2.

Kanye West x KanyeWest.com. Kanye stays true to his word and has officially launched his new website at KanyeWest.com. The new design is very simple to say the least but will focus more on the actual content vs. Kanye’s signature ALL CAPITAL LETTER RANTS. To entice us all Kanye posted a pic of his lovely Amber Rose in full “Grace Jones” semi-nude pose. Check it after the jump.

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The Source unveiled their long-awaited new website this past week with little hype but lots and lots of content. It’s pretty clear the new direction that TheSource.com is trying to take as they focus more as a urban lifestyle destination vs. the hardcore hip-hop news we are so used to from the past. This includes plenty of ancillary hip-hop lifestyle sections on sneakers, fashion, culture and politics. Thing is though, some die-hard Source followers are insisting the new site looks and feels too much like current urban lifestyle web-king Complex.com.

Comparing the two sites, yea there definitely are some similarities with the layout and the overall themes but that doesn’t mean they can’t both exist together and be successful. I mean look at the Lakers and Clippers right? Wait a sec…bad example. Camby for Travis Outlaw? Are you KIDDING?

Ok anyways back to the subject. So what do you think? Smart for The Source to go the Complex route or should have they stayed true to their hardcore roots?

Black Eyed Peas x VEVO. Music video website VEVO is upping their marketing game as they are starting to create teaser vids for upcoming music videos. One of the latest here is Black Eyed Peas which will include a double feature with the videos for “Imma Be” and “Rock That Body,” now titled “Imma Be Rocking That Body.” Video has a definite video game shooter inspiration to it as BEP walk the streets blasting away in a futuristic world.

Malice x Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind and Naked. Malice, one half of the super duo Clipse, is starting to take on some new business ventures of his own. While he and Pusha T still maintain full control over their highly successful Play Cloths clothing line and continue to record together as the Clipse, Malice is set to tell his individual story both online and offline. In today’s days of educated “back pack” rappers who are more well known for their college educations vs. their street hustle, Clipse got their claim to fame by telling their gritty drug dealing stories all with a unique sound. Now Malice takes his storytelling to the next level first by launching a new video blog at MaliceOftheClipse.com where viewers can gain a deeper understanding of Malice’s every day life and struggles.

“Well, I’ve got a blog…It’s showing a lot of the intellect and food for thought behind the things we’ve seen dealing with this music game.  We like to show both sides of the game. We don’t just paint the glorious picture of the game with us making a lot of money saying, ‘Everything is just great.’ You should let your fans, the younger generation and anyone aspiring to be in this game, know the full spectrum.”

To back it up, he is also currently writing an autobiography that chronicles his life from drug dealer to hip-hop star and the trials and tribulations that come with it. The book, entitled “Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind and Naked” does not have an officially announced publisher yet but that’s not stopping Malice.

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Eve x Funny or Die. The humor site Funny or Die, which is owned by Will Ferrell, loves to use hip-hop stars in their skits. Here is the latest one which mocks the Twilight franchise starring the former pitbull in a skirt, Eve.

Kanye’s latest blog entry says it all. And this time it’s not in all caps. Maybe Kayne should finally launch Pastelle.com while he’s on a roll.