Loose Links: Jay-Z, Angela “Mecca” Scott, ‘New Jack City’, Twitter Advertising

Last year, Jay-Z made his authorial debut with his critically acclaimed autobiography and lyrical rundown Decoded. But as those who read the book know, Hova seemed somewhat elusive about the nitty gritty of his former career as a drug dealer in Brooklyn’s Marcy Projects. Fans, speculate no further. Now, in an upcoming biography about the Roc Nation titan, author Zack O’Malley Greenburg reveals some of Jay’s less-than-legal experiences as a hustler, from Jay running keys of that white as far down as Virginia to the time when he shot his older brother in the shoulder over stolen jewelry.

Read the New York Post’s “Jay-Z the Gunslinger”

Speaking of Jay-Z, his 1996 album Reasonable Doubt introduced a number of Hip Hop luminaries to the world stage besides Grey Hov himself. The album gave listeners a taste of producer Ski Beatz, Jay’s protege Memphis Bleek and even Roc-A-Fella co-founder Damon Dash. But perhaps one of the album’s most neglected voices is Angela Scott, better known as Mecca from the song “Feelin’ It.” Now, fifteen years after Reasonable Doubt‘s release, Scott sat down the Village Voice to talk about working with everyone from Camp Lo to Big L (and Hova, of course) and her upcoming debut album Angela Scott vs. Mecca.

Read the Village Voice’s “Q&A: Singer Angela ‘Mecca’ Scott, Star Of Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt, On Working With Jay, Big L, And A Real Housewife Of Atlanta”

From old school classics like Wild Style to new era hits like Notorious, the canon of Hip Hop cinema is ever expanding, and this year, one of Hip Hop’s most revered flicks is celebrating its 20th anniversary. New Jack City, directed by Hollywood progeny Mario Van Peebles and starring Wesley Snipes, Ice-T and Chris Rock, captured New York’s crack era with the story of an upstart drug dealer (Snipes) and his rise to infamy as a crack kingpin in the project building The Carter. To commemorate the film’s twentieth year, Complex put together a list of some of Hip Hop’s most telling nods to the flick.

Read Complex’s “New Jack City As Told Through Rap Lyrics”

Unlike a host of other musical genres, selling out is more or less a rite of passage in Hip Hop. And between Nelly’s Pimp Juice and Russell Simmons’s Rush Card, there have been a lot of strange endorsements coming from Hip Hop’s elite. Yet few really compare to Snoop Dogg hocking Toyota Sierra mini-vans via Twitter. Don’t believe us? Just check out the Wall Street Journal’s recent article on how celebrities have been signing Twitter-based endorsement deals.

Read the Wall Street Journal’s “How Charlie Sheen and Other Stars Get Paid to Tweet”