Of course the biggest story not just of the week but possibly the year is the sad passing of one of the few artists who truly deserves the 'legend' tag, the great Michael Jackson. Perhaps the ultimate music legend. He's probably the most important figure in music ever, with all due respect to those who came before him.

What's his best song? Can't even do that. Has to be at least a top five. Baby Be Mine, I Wanna Be Where You Are, Rock With You, Billie Jean and Remember The Time. Might even have to be a top ten. His body of work is big enough for a top fifty.

His passing is truly historic. Michael Jackson comes from the last days of things like black performers having to chalk their faces up before being allowed to appear on television. No wonder he had issues with his self image later on in life. And let's not forget about that Pepsi accident.

His unprecedented popularity as a black performer - he permeated the mainstream in a way his predecessors never managed - paved the way for stars like Run-DMC and then everyone else that followed in hip hop.

And don't believe the hype about him not being as good in his later years. Check the title track, Break Of Dawn, Whatever Happens featuring Carlos Santana and, of course, Butterflies, from Invincible. The Track Masters remix to You Rock My World featuring Jay-Z was a big club tune around the same time that Jigga brought him out to wow the crowd at Summer Jam. He even had the good sense to rock with Biggie on This Time Around!

To bring things up to date, look at how he locked down Twitter after news of his death broke. He's number one on iTunes. Thriller remains the best selling album of all time, twenty six years after its release. Whatever financial problems that may have been around couldn't have been that bad. He spent his last days in Bel-Air. If we're really lucky, some of the stuff he recorded for his comeback album will be released.

For more, look out for a HIPHOP.COM tribute piece in the near future.

So whats all this with Will.I.Am and Perez Hilton? Or rather Will.I.Am's manager and Perez Hilton. Or maybe it's all about Fergie and the blogger with many hair colours.
The situation has certainly had the net on lock to the extent that many parodies of Perez's long video rant have surfaced. Even John Mayer felt the need to get involved.
Did he have it coming to him because of the amount of mess he talks about celebrities on his site? Or is violence never the answer?

Apart from anything else, why would a gay man call a straight man a faggot? It's all kinds of weird. It's not as Will.I.Am is the kind of super thugged out rapper who would flip instantly on hearing that kind of insult. The Black Eyed Peas are one of hip hop's most commercial groups. Look at the numbers their new album is doing.  Who knows what really went down, even the video of the incident isn't completely crystal clear. But some things are obvious. When  someone doesn't want publicity they don't put themselves in front of a camera for 10 minutes and then put it up online. When R Kelly ALLEGEDLY married Aaliyah she didn't want publicity and she never said a single word about it to the press. Right up to her sad and untimely death. There are other examples. Good luck discussing an A Tribe Called Quest reunion with Q-Tip. How will the lawsuit turn out? It most likely won't even go to court. You know the Peas have got deep pockets and, if need be, could settle. Maybe they won't feel like settling. Who knows?

Scott Storch has already proved he doesn't mind revealing deeply personal aspects of his life. So his upcoming reality show may be realer than most. Just before we get into that mess, let's have a quick run down of some of the hits that Storch has been behind the boards for. Terror Squad's Lean Back, Beyonce's Naughty Girl and The Roots You Got Me. He did some stuff on Still Dre as well. All classics. But did he really blow that much money in that short time period? Props to the super producer for being able to generate that kind of money in the first place. And, let's face it, he must have been having the time of his life. That kind of thing can never last forever though. And the come down is never fun. The as yet untitled show will chronicle his return to making hits 'pon top of hits and might actually be worth watching. His tunes are always worth listening to.

Snoop, Soulja Boy and Talib Kweli recording with Buzz Aldrin? Hip hop is never boring. The second man to walk on the moon will forever be loved by the hip hop nation for this. Rocket Experience may not be as good as the stuff the aforementioned artists record on their own, but it's definitely worth those few minutes of your time. Crazy. Btw have you heard that new Kweli and Hi-Tek joint?  Was Train Of Thought really that long ago? It was. Roll on the new album.

Death Row is about to return with the new owners. It won't be the same but the music released will all have been recorded under the previous regime. The new 'Pac albums will be cool, but it's that unreleased stuff from Kurupt, Rage and Crooked I that I really want to hear. The Left Eye album will also be really interesting. If you followed how her skills developed from Ain't 2 Proud To Beg to No Scrubs you'll know how much she improved in the booth. The Death Row clique were once the strongest in the game, they were certainly the first to do those extra large big numbers on the regular, and for those who yearn for the golden age this is a chance to hear some golden music from that period rather than some new jacks false idea of what 'real hip hop' should sound and be like. Yeah I said it. Cry two tears in a bucket. Let's take it to the stage.

Tru Life has always seemed realer than real can be. However, it's a shame to have that confirmed by way of him turning himself in for charges related to murder. Details, as ever, are scarce, and you can bet he ain't trying to talk to the nosy media about it. With that in mind, best of luck to all concerned and things of that nature. He is definitely among those emcees capable of starting a new era in New York hip hop so let's hope that some Shyne type stuff doesn't go down. Makes Will and Perez seem like a couple of schoolgirls fighting in the playground.

The new Sway joint is kinda ill. Akon didn't sign him to Konvict for nothing. Utilising the classic 900 Number sample recently used by grime hero Skepta and DJ Kool's Let Me Clear My Throat in the mid-nineties, North London's Sway Da Safo's Mercedez Benz is one of the biggest tunes on road. It's nice to see that nostalgia around. Makes me want to do the Ed Lover dance. I wonder whose gonna resurrect it it in 2025? Soulja Boy's son? Look for Sway's new album The Signature 2 coming very soon. He promises a fun vibe. Speaking of fun, if you happen to be in the East London area around July 1st catch Phonte and Big Pooh before they drift further apart as they have sadly promised to do after their new album Leftback drops. Spin Doctor, he of the J Dilla tribute nights, is bringing the duo from North Carolina to London for some tea, crumpets, and a performance to help celebrate The Doctors Orders fourth birthday. Reach if you can. If only because Phontigga is one of the few American rappers who can do a half decent English accent.

Last but definitely not least, the first snippet of what could wind up being the album of the year dropped yesterday. Yeah there a loads and loads of big albums to come in '09 but this is the one nobody saw coming. Who? Nas and Damian 'Jr.Gong' Marley fool. The beat is nice, the lyrics are tight and revolutionary, and they flow in and out of each other like Run and DMC. Distant Relatives is sure to be one of the best hip hop/ragga collabos since peeps like Jamalski way back in the days. If they keep the promise to donate some of the proceeds to the motherland, and why wouldn't they (they're both definitely rich enough), it will become all the more special.

If you missed last week's news, click HERE