This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates inhip hop music for the year 2008.

• The Game states that after his third album,L.A.X., he will retire.^[1]
• Freekey Zeekey states that all is well withDipset, and they are working on new projects.^[2]
• Rick Ross says thatTrilla will be one of the best albums of 2008, and that he andBirdman are recording an album together, as well as making a movie together.^[3]
• 50 Cent,Timbaland,Mary J. Blige, andWyclef Jean are listed in theAlbany, New YorkTimes Union list of steroid trafficking.^[4]
• Eminem was rushed to the hospital due to complications of pneumonia, and reports said his weight had exceeded 200 pounds.^[5]
• Twista launches a new label called the Get Money Gang.^[6]
• Flo Rida breaks a digital sales record, by selling over 470,000 digital units in one week.^[7]
• Nate Dogg suffers astroke.^[8]
• L.A. Reid is namedDef Jam President, afterJay-Z stepped down to pursue other options.^[9]
• Joell Ortiz leavesAftermath Entertainment after not being able to produce music at the rate he wanted to.^[10]

• Devin the Dude leavesRap-a-Lot Records.^[11]
• A tabloid is circulated, that saysBenzino was withFat Joe's wife in the past, but the magazine was later found out to be fake.^[12]
• MTV president Christina Norman leaves her position.^[13]
• The Game was given 2 months in jail because of his several incidents of violence.^[14]
• DJ Khaled initializes a label underDef Jam, calledWe The Best Music. He signs his first artist,Ace Hood.^[15]
• Ruthless Records returns, with help fromSony.Eazy-E's wife Tomica Woods-Wright is the CEO of the re-formed company.^[16]
• Nas says his album,Nigger, will be released in April.^[17]
• TVT Records (home ofLil Jon,Ying Yang Twins, andPitbull) closes down after 22 years in the business.^[18]
• Lil Wayne says his album,Tha Carter III, will be released in April.^[19]
• Producer and songwriterStatic Major dies.^[20]
• KRS-One and DJ Revolution sign toDuck Down Records.^[21]
• Fat Joe and50 Cent's feud continues, with Fat Joe saying that in a fair fight, 50 would probably beat him, but he would love to send him to the dentist.^[21]

• Disturbing tha Peace signs withDef Jam.^[22]
• Fat Joe and50 Cent continue to beef, especially through the internet and through videos.G-Unit releases a mixtape called "The Elephant In The Sand".^[23]
• G Unit's DJ, Whoo Kid, says he is going to retire.^[24]
• Eminem andRoyce Da 5'9" cease the beef.^[25]
• Chuck Philips of theLos Angeles Times says thatDiddy and Jimmy Rosemond were in on the assault ofTupac Shakur, but Diddy denies the rumor.^[26][27]
• Jadakiss speaks on his highly anticipated debut album withDef Jam.
• Tha Carter III is set to be released on May 13, whileL.A.X. is set to be released on June 24.^[28]
• Los Angeles Times reports that saidDiddy knew about theTupac Shakur shooting before it happened were based on fraudulent documents, but theLos Angeles Times later apologized for the rumors.^[29][30]
• T.I. is found guilty for gun charges.^[31]
• Nate Dogg pleads guilty on a domestic violence charge.^[32]
• Remy Ma was found guilty of charges that were put against her last year, and could face up to 25 years in prison.^[33]
• Former Dipset memberMax B is shot, and is said to be incritical condition.^[34]
• Nelly says that his first album in four years,Brass Knuckles, is set to be released later in 2008.^[35]
• 50 Cent talks about the fake Benzino/Fat Joe Hip Hop Weekly album cover(he says he did not create it), and fires "warning shots" atRick Ross.^[36]

• KL ofScrewball dies of a heart attack.^[37]
• Jay-Z signs a $150,000,000 deal withLive Nation.^[38]
• Despite the big signsDiddy made to getNotorious B.I.G.,Mase, andMary J. Blige, Diddy says that his biggest sign isJanelle Monáe.^[39]
• Trina's album,Still da Baddest, is the number 1 on the Rap albums on Billboard.
• New Orleans rapperVL Mike is murdered on April 20 at age 32.
• Tha Carter III is pushed back again, to June.^[40]
• Jermaine Dupri andTAG Body Spray launch a hip hop record label.^[41]
• DJ Whoo Kid says he doesn't want to retire, but he's not going to stick around until he's 40.^[42]
• The Trackmasters return.^[43]
• Ja Rule says that soon he will release his new album,The Mirror.^[44]
• Bobby Valentino leavesDisturbing Tha Peace.^[45]
• TheUK ban ofSnoop Dogg is lifted.
• The Game moves the release date onL.A.X. from June 24 to July 8.^[46]

• DMX is arrested inArizona because of drug andanimal cruelty charges.^[47]
• MTV gets hip-hop hate because of the mediocre rappers that were on the list of the best.^[48]
• Suge Knight is assaulted and hospitalized.^[49]
• Remy Ma's case gets re-evaluated, and only has to serve 8 years in prison.^[50]
• Mass Appeal Magazine calls it quits after 12 years running.^[51]
• Rick Ross'sTrilla becomes the first hip hop album to be certified gold in 2008, due to the heavy airplay of his second single, "The Boss".
• Dunk Ryders sign toCash Money Records.^[52]
• AG-Unit representative denies the reports of the $300,000,000 deal.^[53]
• Nas co-signs Jay Electronica.^[54]
• Nas changes the name of his formerly titledNigger album toNas.^[55]
• Polow da Don is named the Songwriter of the Year byBMI.^[56]
• Saigon is released fromAtlantic Records.^[57]
• New YorkgovernorDavid Paterson pardonsSlick Rick, ending his immigration woes.^[58]
• A judge ordersSuge Knight to sellDeath Row Records.^[59]
• Yung Joc starts his own label underJive Records called Swagg Team Entertainment, signingChicago rap trioHotstylz as its first act.

• Trick Daddy leavesSlip-N-Slide Records, and has talks withDef Jam.^[60]
• Shakir Stewart gets promoted to Executive VP of Def Jam.^[61]
• Charli Baltimore re-signs withMurder Inc Records^[62]
• Nas's album name changes again, toUntitled.^[63]
• The Game changes his release date of the albumL.A.X. again, to July 22, and also says that he has made the decision tonot make LAX his last album.^[64][65]
• Lil Wayne's album,Tha Carter III, sells over a million copies for its first week. This feat was last done by50 Cent'sThe Massacre. His debut single from the album, "Lollipop" was #1 on Billboard 100 for 5 non-consecutive weeks.
• T.I. signs8Ball & MJG, while he continues to have beef withShawty Lo and50 Cent.^[66]
• The Orchard wins the bid for TVT Records to buy out the bankrupt label.^[67]
• Nate Dogg is arrested for terrorist threats to his girlfriend.^[68]
• DMX is arrested for not having a valid driver's license.^[69]
• The Game's album,L.A.X., is once again pushed back, this time to August 26.^[70]
• 2 Pistols falls after one punch at a BET Awards pre-party fromDolla after back-and-forth disses.^[71]
• D-Block is set to release a new album; their first group album since 2000.^[72]
• Death Row is sold in an auction afterSuge Knight was ordered to sell the label; it was sold for 24 million dollars to Susan Berg.^[73]
• DJ Khaled is set to release the album,We Global, later in 2008.^[74]
• BET loses the sponsorship over violence, profanity, and obscenity in hip-hop videos. (Industry Ears and CNN,Procter & Gamble, Pepsi and General Motors pulled their ads fromRap City and106 & Park.)^[75]
• The Clipse will release their album,Clipse Presents: Re-Up Gang, later in 2008 onKoch Records.^[76]
• Snoop Dogg states that he is impressed byDetox,Dr. Dre's new album. He also says that Dre will produce his new album.^[77]
• Kanye West was reportedly booed at 2008'sBonnaroo festival. A couple of days later, he responded with an all-caps rant post on his blog, KanyeUniverseCity.^{[citation needed]}

• 50 Cent suesTaco Bell for $4 million because the food chain had used his name without permission.
• Gucci Mane is arrested on gun and drug charges.
• Nas teams up withMoveOn.org andColor of Change to obtain signatures to end the accusations ofBarack Obama.
• Lil Wayne's album,Tha Carter III, is certified double platinum.
• Bone Thugs-n-Harmony reunite after many years with the release ofFlesh-n-Bone from jail and the return of turmoiled group memberBizzy Bone. They are recording a reunion album.
• LL Cool J denies signing withG-Unit Records.
• It has been found out that popular Miami rapper Rick Ross used to be a correctional officer before becoming a rapper.
• Veteran New Orleans rapper, Sporty T murdered inside of a trailer.
• Baltimore DJ,K-Swift, dies in a swimming pool.
• The mayor ofHouston proclaimed July 22, "Trae Day", forTrae's help in the community and city.
• Upcoming RapperKid Cudi Drops MixtapeA Kid Named Cudi Spawning Two SinglesDay 'n' Nite And T.G.I.F..

• Master P gets the key to the city ofMemphis for the "Let The Kids Grow Day" project he organized.
• Dr. Dre's daughter releases a controversial documentary calledDaddy's Shadow talking about her dad not supporting her dreams of rapping.
• Big Boi andKiller Mike end their 3-year feud.
• Yung Berg is arrested for possession of a pistol and marijuana.
• Trae andMike Jones get into an altercation at the 2008 Ozone Awards.
• Ice Cube's new album,Raw Footage, is leaked onto the internet.
• Cam'ron soldJuelz Santana's contract to Def Jam for $2 million, hence removing Santana from the Diplomats roster.
• DJ Vlad sues Rick Ross for assaulting him.
• 50 Cent is #1 onForbes' 2008 Hip-Hop Cash Kings, making $150 million last year for his Vitamin Water deal, his sales ofCurtis, and his G-Unit clothing, and his record label. Following behind is Jay-Z at #2, Diddy at #3, and Kanye West at #4. Common, Akon, & Lil Wayne made first time showings on the list.
• Da Brat is sentenced to three years in prison for striking a woman with arum bottle at anAtlanta nightclub in 2007.^[78]
• The Game's new album,L.A.X., is leaked onto the Internet earlier than expected.
• Dr. Dre's son, Andre Young, Jr., aged 20, was found dead on August 23, 2008.^[79]
• Young Jeezy's new album,The Recession, is leaked onto the Internet.
• LL Cool J's new album,Exit 13, is leaked onto the Internet a day before its release.

• Yung Berg was hospitalized after being beaten up and robbed for his Transformers necklace inDetroit atTrick Trick's club, Plan B.
• Kanye West was arrested for damaging two of the paparazzi's cameras. He posted bail for $20,000.
• Nelly's new album,Brass Knuckles, is leaked onto the Internet four days before its release.
• 50 Cent stated that his albumBefore I Self Destruct will be released on December 9, 2008, a week before Kanye's album will be released.
• Nate Dogg suffers his second stroke in less than a year. He is reported in critical condition.
• T.I.'s new album,Paper Trail, is released on September 30, 2008. It achieved gold status in its first week and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album sold 568,000 copies and became T.I.'s biggest debut to date. His album yielded two #1 hit singles ("Whatever You Like" & "Live Your Life").
• Ludacris's pool house gets set on fire.^[80]
• Kanye West has pushed his album808s and Heartbreak to November.

• Maino allegedly smackedYung Berg in the face.^[81]
• C-Murder supposed to appear in court on October 14, for his murder trial.
• Johnny J, a Hip-Hop producer known for producing many ofTupac Shakur's songs, dies after allegedly committing suicide by jumping of a tier of a county jail.
• 50 Cent releases first single "Get Up" off new albumBefore I Self Destruct due December 9.
• Eminem tellsShade 45 that his new album will be calledRelapse.
• Kanye West new album808s and Heartbreak to be released November 25.
• Lil Jon signs to Universal Republic Records and plans to release next album sometime in 2009.
• Lil Wayne stated that he will release the reissue ofTha Carter III, naming itTha Carter III: The Rebirth. He now has another boy named Dwayne Carter III. He also won 9 BET Hip-Hop Awards the same day.
• Lil Boosie has been arrested for marijuana and weapons possession in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

• Shakir Steward, president of Def Jam Records, died of a self-inflicted gun wound.
• Lupe Fiasco stated thatLupe E.N.D. will be his final album, but it will be a triple CD set.
• Chamillionaire releases his first single from his third studio album,Venom, calledCreepin' (Solo) featuringLudacris.
• MC Breed passes away at the age of 36.
• 8 Mile actor,De'Angelo Wilson dies of suicide by hanging.

• Another arrest warrant is issued toDMX.
• Lil Wayne has the most Grammy nominations for the Grammy Awards 2009 of eight nods. Jay-Z & Kanye West both received 6 nominations each, while T.I. & Lupe Fiasco both received 4 nominations each.
• Chingy has been dropped from DTP/Def Jam Records due to lackluster sales on his fourth album,Hate It Or Love It.
• Plies releases his 3rd studio album in less than 17 months titled,Da Realist.
• Jim Jones was arrested for allegedly beating up a friend of the R&B singerNe-Yo outside theLouis Vuitton store inNew York City in December 2008; he has pleaded not guilty.^[82]

As of December 31, 2008.^{[84][85][86][87][88][89][90][91]}

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