DerrickNtheCity

When it comes to building brands and being a marketing genius, nobody does it better than 50 Cent and last night, the "In Da Club" rapper stopped in Chicago to promote his new drink, Effen Vodka. The event was held at The Shrine and it was hosted by Susu Barakat with plenty of bottles on deck. Throughout the event, 50 Cent took the stage and showed a lot of love to his fans at The Shrine, by treating them to shots of Effen Vodka. 50 also brought out new rapper Yung Stakks to the stage and allowed the Chicago emcee to perform his single "Stakk Money," which got the crowd off its feet. Check out our pictures and video after the jump and don't forget to pick up a bottle of Effen Vodka.

When it comes to making music, R Kelly is known for pleasing the ladies. Now, he's ready to serve up a full course meal with new album,  Buffet . He recently took to IG to share release date with fans. "Brooklyn, New York! I'm bringing my HITS to @BarclaysCenter the day my "Buffet" album comes out September 25th. Tickets go on sale this Friday 7/31!" Its seems like Sept. 25th is going to be a big day for Kellz fans. Until then, put on some ole 12 Play .

Continuing to burn up the summer, Vic Mensa takes on Biggie's classic track "Who Shot Ya" with a hot new freestyle, "Heir To The Throne." Many believe that this is also a diss record to Travis Scott. Take a listen to the freestyle below and don't forget to weigh in with your thoughts and comments. FSD

Even though we're heavily in the middle of summer, Chicago's Tink delivers the third installment of her Winter's Diary series. It contains 10 brand new tracks and it includes production from Timbaland, C-Sick, DJ Wes, and others. Take a listen to stream after the jump and don't forget your comments.

Displaying magnificent lighting and performing great music, J Cole brought his Forest Hills Drive tour to the Chicagoland Area last night at Tinley Park's Hollywood Casino Amphitheater. During his set, Cole performed tracks from his past and present catalog and he also brought out Chicago's very own Jeremih to perform their collaborative single "Planes" before leaving the stage. Watch below. 

Women will make you lose your mind and Lil Durk's is definitely sending him close to the edge in latest new visual. The video is called "Lord Don't Make Me Do It" and its directed by Eif Rivera. Its taken from his Def Jam debut Remember My Name , which is available now in-stores. Watch below.

Coming off the heels of their collaborative project called Withdrawal with Twista, Chicago veterans Do or Die are gearing up to release the second installment of their debut album called  Picture This . According to FSD , the project is set to drop in the near future but today, they deliver a new offering to hold you over. The track is called "Love In The Sky" and it features Rick Ross and Scottie P.  FSD

This past weekend, Kanye West showed up in Toronto to perform as the closing act for this year's Pan Am Games Ceremony. During his memorable set, Yeezy performed songs "Touch The Sky," "All of the Lights," "Stronger," "Black Skinhead," and more; however, when he got to his final song "Good Life," he ran into technical difficulties and walked off stage. Watch video below by DGV .

Last night, E! premiered Caitlyn Jenner's new reality series "I Am Cait." During the episode, Caitlyn received some encouraging words from Kanye and stepdaughter Kim Kardashian West. Plus, Ye meets Jenner's family for the first time. Watch the clip below and don't forget to weigh your thoughts.

Packed with plenty of ladies and stocked with Drumma Boy's Moreno BHLV drink to set the mood, Kokki held a great listening session for his project The Comeback , last night. The event took place at CRC Studios in Downtown Chicago and it was hosted by Ms Carmen (@PlatinumVoicePR). Throughout the event, Kokki greeted and interacted with all his invited guests while DJ Averi Minor rocked the one's and two's. Later, Kokki sat down and answered questions about his project and then played his whole entire list which included songs "Errrything On Me," "I Swear To God " and more. Closing out the event, Kokki performed and dedicated his last song of the project to the memory of his longtime friend Dre Matic. The track is called "Pour Up" and it features Chicago rapper J Hood. Check out footage and pics after the jump and don't forget The Comeback  is set to drop next month.

Earlier this week, Ice Cube and some of the cast members of the upcoming Straight Outta Compton movie stopped in Chicago to show the first exclusive screening of the film. During their visit, they also stopped by Chicago's WGCI to talk with Kyle, Kendra, and Leon on the Morning Takeover. In the studio, Ice Cube and director F Gary Gray spoke briefly on the importance of getting details right in the film, while O'Shea Jackson Jr. and Jason Mitchell talked about the pressure of playing Ice Cube and Eazy E. Watch full interview below. Straight Outta Compton hits theaters August 14.

In support of his latest new album DS2 , Future stopped in Chicago, last night, and turned the party out at The Shrine with the second leg of his Salute The Fans free concert series. The show was curated to give back to his supporters and the place was packed with ballers and fine ass women. During the show, Future Hendrix performed some of the crowd favorites along with new music from his  Dirty Sprite 2 album. Coming up next, Future is set to hit New York and L.A. for the last two dates on his Salute The Fans tour. For now, check out footage from last night event after the jump.

Before performing his show on the East Coast, R&B singer R Kelly recently stopped by Shade 45 to talk with Sway In The Morning . During his visit, the "Pied Piper" spoke on some of his biggest songs while prepping for his upcoming album, Buffet . He also mentioned who he would like to work with on the next  Best of Both Worlds project and he took the mic for a "5 Fingers of Death" freestyle over a few instrumentals. Check out the video after the jump and don't forget your thoughts and comments.

After building his anticipation and being featured on blogs such as ThisIs50, The Source, and more, Chicago rapper White James releases his long-awaited project, FOO FOP . The album contains 16 tracks and it includes White's latest single "CHO-CHA," which is playing in the gentlemen clubs and radio stations. Listen to the full stream below and don't forget to cop it on Tidal , Spotify , and iTunes .

Counting racks and blowing smoke, Chicago rapper Lil Reese gives his latest song "That's Wassup" the visual treatment. Its taken from his 2nd installment of the Supa Savage series and its directed by A Zae Production with Ricco on the beat. Check out the video and mixtape stream after the jump.

Its been a long time coming but the Dream Center for Kids has officially launched in Chicago. The new facility was founded by Beyonca Johnson and her cousin, former DePaul University basketball player HollyRock Medley, and their goal and mission is to provide the youth with moral values and strong character to help them master independent life skills and maximize their full potential.  On yesterday, while the ribbon was being cut for the Dream Center , we talked with Chicago rapper White James, who came out to show his support. He spoke on the importance of the facility and how it will impact kids in the community. He also mentioned he will be contributing his time their as well. During our talk, White James also took us on a tour of the new facility and he showed us the place is filled with activities, games, and plenty of computers for kids to do their homework after school.  After the jump, check out pics of the Dream Center and listen to White James speak on the

Every since she made a surprise performance at this year's BET Awards , Lil Kim's name has been buzz'n all over social media and last night in Chicago, Queen Bee made noise once again with a sold out crowd at The Shrine. The event was presented by Susu and Seagram's Gin and it was packed. During the event, Kim took the stage and captivated the crowd with some of her fans favorites like "All About The Benjamins," "Queen Bitch," and her classic verse from Mobb Deep's "Quiet Storm."  Later in the show, Kim thanked Chicago for their undying support and brought out Shawnna before leaving the stage. Other stars and guests in the building included actor Rick Gonzalez, Kendra G of WGCI's Morning Takeover, Ta'Rhonda "Porsha" Jones of FOX hit TV series Empire and more. After the jump, check out pictures and video from this awesome event at The Shrine in Chicago.

While gearing up for the third installment of her Dope Chick series, Danni Gurl delivers a brand new visual to hold her fans over. Today, the Chicago female rapper releases "No Extra" and its directed by Sose The Giant of AMG Films 5500. Check it out after the jump and don't forget your comments.

Last night, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah stopped in Chicago with the Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 20th Anniversary Tour. The show took place at the House of Blues and it was packed with Wu Tang fans. Throughout the show, Rae and Ghost took the crowd down memory lane with a number of hits from the classic Purple Tape . They also performed songs from Ghost's Supreme Clientele album along with a long list of hits from the Wu Tang catalog, including "C.R.E.A.M.," "Triumph," and others. After the jump, check out and watch Raekwon and Ghost performing "Criminology" and "Ice Cream."

Earlier this morning, Chance The Rapper made his debut appearance on ABC 7's  Windy City Live to talk with Val Warner. During his visit, the Chicago rapper talked about his Dad, his upbringing and how he got started with music. He also teased and hinted a potential collaboration with Kanye West.  "Me and Kanye and a lot of Chicago artists are working on a collaborative effort that will be released tentatively."  Later in the show, Chance took the stage with his bandmates Donnie Trumpet and the The Social Experiment to perform "Sunday Candy" from his project Acid Rap . Check out video after the jump.

After months of hard work, Spike Lee has finished filming on his new movie  Chiraq and last night, the "Do The Right Thing" director threw a big wrap party for Chicago to show his appreciation. The event was held at the Zhou B Art Center on the City's Southside and it was packed with full of supporters.  During the event, Spike Lee took pictures and interacted with his invited guests, while thanking them for his stay in the city. The event was also filled with members of the Chiraq movie along with local celebrities, Chicago rappers and an appearance from Gabourey Sidibe of FOX hit series Empire .

Displaying rapid flows while showing old throwback clips of their classic videos, Chicago veteran's Twista and Do or Die releases a brand new visual from their latest collaborative project, Withdrawal . Its directed APJ Films and ready for your enjoyment below. Withdrawal available now on iTunes .

Last year, homeless rapper Solow Redline encountered a life changing experience when a video of him rapping went viral on the internet. Discovered by Co-Still of Wicked Entertainment, Solow has now gone from rapping on Chicago's subways to being one of the most talked about names in media. Today, Solow releases his long-awaited video, "Hell & Back." It talks about his life struggles and what its like in the streets of Chicago. Its directed by LG and it features Chicago's Soundmaster T. Watch it after the jump and don't forget your comments.

After putting in a long grind of hard work, Chicago's Butta Da Great drops his long-awaited mixtape Mr. All I Want Is Money . Its hosted by DJ Smoke, C-Bit and DJ Reese and it features Twista, King Louie, Katie Got Bandz, Soundmaster T and more. Check out the stream below and press play.

Switching it up and taking a different approach with his music, Chicago rapper Chief Keef releases a new visual paying tribute to one of his fallen soldiers, Big Glo. Its produced by Animaniaks and it features Jenn Em. Take a look after the jump and don't forget your comments. Cozart coming soon.

On yesterday, Chicago rapper Tink hit up Time Square in NYC to premiere the new official visual for her latest track "Million." The song is taken from Tink's upcoming debut album Think Tink and its ready for your enjoyment after the jump. Take a look and don't forget to weigh in with comments.