An unreleased Nicki Minaj music video has surfaced on the internet called “Dirty Money”.

It shows Nicki spitting some bars before she signed to Young Money and developed her quirky style.

The moment is here. For the seventh edition of MTV’s “Hottest MC’s List,” the panel have crowned Rick Ross the top spot of their annual list. Rounding out the top five are Drake, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, and Lil’ Wayne. Pretty remarkable for The Bawse considering he had no solo album last year. Congrats to Maybach Music Group who along with Meek Mill and Wale made the top ten.

“Rick Ross, I think, provides hope to that MC, to that kid growing up who just wants to rap and make street music and say, ‘You know what? In this world where hip-hop has become pop, you can still just rap,’ ” Markman said.

A lot of times artists are faced with a sophomore slump. I think Drake surpassed it and probably had one of the best hip-hop albums of the year,” said Steven Roberts, MTV News producer/writer, about the chart-topping Take Care.

Watch the panel round out the list after the jump….

“Kanye came off of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in 2010, and just the hype from that album rolled over into 2011, as he started prepping us for WTT,” said Nadeska Alexis, MTV News’ RapFix blog editor. “Kanye was the only thing people could talk about for the first few months of the year.”

Kanye West

“Nicki Minaj doesn’t have to be Meek Mill, but at the same time she’s not Britney Spears,” said Steven Roberts, a segment producer/writer at MTV News. “I think Nicki Minaj is something special where she can be in the middle and she can be pop and hip-hop because I think hip-hop at this point is pop.”

Nicki Minaj

“I think that’s an understatement, that he remained relevant. I think that he maintained his dominance,” said Rob Markman, MTV News’ senior hip-hop writer. When we talk about Wayne, nobody [has] sold a million in a week — since Lil Wayne. Quite frankly, I think #4 is too low.”

Lil’ Wayne

MTV’s Hottest MC’s In The Game VII:

1. Rick Ross
2. Drake
3. Kanye West
4. Lil’ Wayne
5. Nicki Minaj
6. Jay-Z
7. Meek Mill
8. Big Sean
9. Wiz Khalifa
10. Wale

Estelle’s in promo mode for her upcoming third solo album, All of Me. Thursday evening, the R&B songstress made a visit to the Tonight Show with Jay Leno to perform her current single, “Thank You.” Her album arrives on February 28.

View the artwork and tracklisting to Estelle’s All of Me album with features from Chris Brown, Trey Songz, Rick Ross and more, after the jump….

Estelle – All of Me (Tracklisting):

1. “The Life”
2. “International (Serious)” feat. Chris Brown and Trey Songz
3. “You and I”
4. “Love the Way We Used To”
5. “Cold Crush”
6. “Don’t Break It”
7. “Break My Heart” feat. Rick Ross
8. “Thank You”
9. “Who We Are”
10. “Wonderful Life”
11. “Found My Way…”
12. “Back to Love”
13. “Blue Skies”
14. “Speak Ya Mind”
15. “Do My Thing” feat. Janelle Monáe

Common is questioned about taking subliminal shots on “Sweet.”
“Sweet” was the third single from Common’s ninth album The Dreamer/The Believer and a few lines on the track immediately jumped out (“Singing all around me man, la la la/You ain’t mutha—-ing Frank Sinatra”), prompting questions and rumors about whether he was specifically calling Drake “soft” on the track.

Drake responds to Common’s comment during a live show.
During a December show in Las Vegas, Drake reportedly responded to Common’s verses and his interviews, saying, “I might sing, but I ain’t no bitch. If someone got something to say, say it to my face.”

Common confirms “Sweet” diss was directed at Drake.
After initially dodging a few questions about where exactly those shots on “Sweet” were aimed, Common finally gave a direct answer during an interview on “Sway in the Morning,” referencing Drake’s reaction to “Sweet.” “He opened his mouth and said some things, so if that’s what he want—all that subliminal [talk]…you could do that too, but say it now,” Common said. “The verse is about me but when you hear some of the stuff on the chorus it’s like you can’t help but think about dude and I guess that’s what he felt. So at the end of day he fits in that category, he already embraced it, so wear it.”

Drake’s producer Noah “40” Shebib weighs in on the tension via Twitter.
40 on Common calling Drake “soft”: @common, I remember being called a bitch in grade 9 cause I had your cd. Good thing I also had 456 by kool g rap on me. Now that’s real After “one day it’ll all make sense” came out I spent months arguing weather or not @common was hip hop. Everyone was saying it was too rnb. I’m not dissing, just facts. I love common. I also love swv and John b.” 40′s tweets triggered a response from Q-Tip, who urged 40 to keep it light and not disrespect Common.

Drake officially responds to Common on “Stay Schemin.’”
Up until this point Drake had remained relatively quiet on the “beef” but when Ross dropped his anticipated Rich Forever mixtape, Drake used the track “Stay Schemin’” to direct a verse at Common, spitting, “It’s feeling like rap changed, it was a time it was rugged/Back when if a nigga reached it was for the weapon, nowadays niggas reach just to sell their record.”

Common calls Drake out by name on “Stay Schemin (Remix).”
Common’s swift response to Drake on “Stay Schemin’ (Remix)” officially made this the first legitimate rap battle of 2012. After going back-and-forth for a few weeks, Common specifically called Drake out by name, in addition to calling him “Canada Dry” making it impossible for the Young Money rapper to ignore him.

Drake’s boy, The Weekend, plus Rick Ross and Scarface chime in.
Geto Boys frontman Scarface addressed the clash on Twitter, commenting on the negativity that surrounds rap battles–“There is a certain level of respect all men have to have for one another any form of disrespect means you are prepared to DIE #fuckarapbeef”–which prompted a retweet from Rick Ross.  The Weeknd, on the other hand, clearly took sides, writing: “That was the worst comeback ive ever heard,” he wrote, “Reminds me of someone’s drunk uncle.”

Cash Money CEO Birdman adds his two cents: “It’s Drake or Nothing.”
During a radio interview, Birdman responded to a question about his position on the beef. He was clear in stating that Young Money isn’t in the business of profiting from diss records, but he also vowed to support Drake in whatever way he needed. “Drake the homie so we ride or die, ain’t no second questions about that, but we’ve never been a brand to make records and want to make money off of making records off other people, that’s not what we bout,” he said. “So to me, however the young homie deal with it, we behind him, we supporting him 100 percent with our life, so that’s just what it is.”

Rarely do we get a moment where Lil’ Wayne speaks on video for almost 30 mins. For his latest vlog, a “Weezy F. Baby Public Service Announcement”, the Young Money general took the time to speak on the recent passing of Apple founder Steve Jobs. The moment caused Weezy to reflect on life and respond to critics who’ve questioned everything from his drinking habits, to music choices, kids looking to him as a role model, taking up skateboarding, and more. Watch the full 28-minute video above.

Even before “How To Make It In America” premiered on HBO last year, comparisons to HBO’s other male-centered show, “Entourage” were inevitable, albeit unfair. Both shows centered on the story of young, children-less men striving to become success stories against the backdrop of big American cities (“Entourage,” Los Angeles; “How To Make It In America,” New York City), But while  “Entourage” was a story about having fame and fortune and getting more, “How To Make It In America” is about having neither of those things and trying to get at least a taste. If “Entourage” was a show about the Hollywood dream, “How To Make It in America” is a show about the working reality when the dreamer wakes up.

Perhaps now with “Entourage” off the air, “How To Make It In America” will be able to stand on its own as a show worth watching. Though the first season wasn’t without its problems — for one, it was only eight episodes long, thus making it difficult to get behind characters like Ben (Bryan Greenberg) and Cam (Victor Rasuk) — it was charming enough for the suits at HBO to bring it back for a second season.

“How To Make It In America” creator and executive producer Ian Edelman and actor Victor Rasuk spoke about the changes in store for Season 2.

Speakeasy: With the monkey of season one off your back, was it easier to shoot season two?

Ian Edelman: Easier isn’t the word, but it felt looser and more fun. There was a confidence we got from having done eight episodes. Think about the first season of television: A network show gets 22 episodes, most cable shows are 12, so we had a very small sample to look at but we learned a lot from it.

Speakeasy: Was season two a lock before season one wrapped?

Edelman: No, we did the first season and then we waited…

Victor Rasuk: Waited and kept waiting, I lost count.

Edelman: Then we were in New York and I had to go in with [producer] Steve Levinson, and we had to pitch season two. Then we heard. So like the show, it was a non-stop hustle, scraping by.

Speakeasy: Well season two picks up with Ben and Cam in Japan, and you all actually flew out there to shoot those scenes. Their fictional clothing-line Crisp is becoming a real thing. Is this season more about success or still trying to get the success?

Edelman: In season one, they were like “What do we do?” In season two they have the plan and they already have the momentum and inertia.

Speakeasy: Victor, what differences did you notice in the characters between this season and last season?

Rasuk: Yeah, as much as Cam was motivated and driven, without Ben he didn’t really know what the bigger idea was, but in season two, when we come back from Japan, he’s more inspired and more focused.

Speakeasy: He also has a love interest this season. I think that makes him feel like less of Ben’s sidekick and more his own person.

Rasuk: Yeah, me and Ian talked about that. We wanted to see Cam have his own love interest and get him out of his comfort zone. So when I was reading season two, I was calling him so happy. Like you said, in season one, he was more of a sidekick but now you see him more involved in the story.

Speakeasy: When the show came out, there wasn’t one write-up that didn’t compare the show to “Entourage.”

Rasuk: I know, man!

Speakeasy: Well, was that bothersome and knowing it’s off the air and “How To Make It” is, for lack of a better term, the guy’s guy show, is there less pressure?

Edelman: It was really frustrating to read those because I felt like we were getting cut off at the legs. That’s not what the show is, it’s not a spin-off show; it just happens to have similar producers but it’s its own thing. I think this year you’ll get that. Entourage was a great show that had a great run that really, for the first time on television, showed how young dudes relate to each other and speak to each other.

Rasuk: I was a fan of the show, because I know from living in L.A. for the last seven years, it was so real. In terms of comparing it, it’s a double-edged sword. To be as successful as Entourage is putting a lot of pressure on us, unwanted pressure. It’s a compliment to compare us, though I don’t think it’s a compliment yet because we don’t have nearly the type of run that show had.

Speakeasy: Both of you are New York City natives but live in L.A. now, so how do you keep the authenticity of the show when you’re putting it together so far away from where it takes place?

Rasuk: I come back to New York on the regular; even though I live in L.A. our families are here. Thankfully, I can afford to come back and visit for a few days or a few weeks. I’ve been doing that since I moved to L.A. seven years ago.

Edelman: I think it’s safe to say Victor Rasuk isn’t going to lose his New York accent [laugh]. I mean, we’re both born and raised here and I’ve lived in L.A. for ten years but I can still come back. My parents and my brother live here. Victor and I grew up differently but we grew up in a culture of being really city kids. The cast is all real New Yorkers, and Kid Cudi’s character represents the cool kids who come to New York with a dream.

Speakeasy: In the first two episodes of season two, the references and trends feel really up to date especially for television time, how deliberate was it for you all to make sure the show felt like it was in touch with the lifestyle it represents?

Edelman: Once we got picked up, we didn’t roll into production until the Spring.

Rasuk: We could’ve shot it that winter and it’s funny because me and Bryan, after we got picked up, we were wondering why we were waiting and now it’s validated. [Points to Ian] He wanted to wait closer to the premier date because everything in fashion was going to be relevant, if not beyond its time.

Edelman: Trying to capture this culture, we wanted to wait until the last possible minute.

Speakeasy: So is season three a definite or is it like Ben and Cam where you all are grinding to get picked up again?

Rasuk: Oh man, we have to go through the same process.

Edelman: We’re in the streets, putting up billboards ourselves [laughs].

Rasuk: [Laughs] I’m going to start saying that.

Edelman: Who knows? It’s all unwritten. Personally, I’m very excited, I feel really good about season two because I think it’s going to deliver.

Rasuk: What my hopes were — even before we were coming out — was if we were coming out. Now that we are, it was to hope we came out in a great time slot, you know, just give us a good shot. I think we got that and everything else we executed on.

Manny Ramirez – former star of the L.A. Dodgers and Boston Red Sox — has been formally charged by the Broward State Attorney’s Office with misdemeanor domestic violence and battery.

Ramirez was arrested in Florida earlier this month after allegedly slapping his wife in her face, which caused her to hit her head on the headboard.

In a recent interview, Mark Wahlberg finally confirmed the movie adaptation rumours saying, “I am more focused on making that movie than my own films. You saw the way it ended. After the credits, Jeremy Piven’s character is in Italy with his wife and he gets a big phone call. I think that’s obviously going to cause a lot of tension within his relationship. And the guys are going to have to go back to where it started. We’ve been talking about the movie non-stop. That’s the goal.”

Snooki says she’d never sell her tape(s): “I don’t want people to watch me doing that,” sasy the woman who stripped to her underwear and hit on four consecutive men in a hot tub within hours of meeting them and performed back flips in a dress so tiny that her crotch had to be blurred out. “It’s a private thing.”

Vivid Entertainment founder Steven Hirsch tells L&S that a sex tape with Snooki could fetch as much as $3 million.

Meanwhile, Jenni “JWoww” Farley tells L&S that she bought herself breast implants just before her 21st birthday. “I didn’t really need to go bigger, but I wanted them. I’m really happy with them now.” So was half of Seaside Heights.

Connor’s delighted, his mother’s infuriated, and the paintball company won’t answer any questions. I think the worst part is, judging by the picture, he didn’t even get authentic viagra. What kind of paintball company not only swaps gun gear for sex boosters, but gives them counterfeit shit? Was the porn DVD a VHS rip? How can anyone even care about paintball after a delivery like this? [NY Daily News]