Top Music News Moments Of 2008

Lil Wayne - "There ain't nowhere where you won't see me without this cup," Wayne promises. (Photo credit: Frank Micelotta)

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Lil Wayne - Lil' Wayne’s highly anticipated album "Tha Carter III" was released on June 10. It sold more than a million copies in its first week of release –the first hip-hop artist to accomplish the feat since 50 Cent’s "The Massacre" in 2005. The album further established Wayne’s boisterous “Greatest Rapper Alive” claims.

Bey Is Etta - “'At Last'” ... we finally get a second look at Bey as legendary Blues singer Etta James. So what's Ms. James saying about Bey playing her in the movie “Cadillac Records?” “I don’t think she looks like me, but that’s all right. They can fix that up,” James said. The film chronicles the rise and fall of the influential R&B record label Chess Records.

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Beyonce - Beyoncé took on three different roles in her new movie “Cadillac Records.” In addition to starring the film as rhythm & blues legend Etta James, she also signed on as executive producer of the project and recorded four songs for the soundtrack.

Jay-Z: December 4 - Brooklyn's favorite son celebrates his 41st birthday.

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Jay-Z - Jay-Z teamed up with entrepreneur Steve Stoute and launched an advertising agency. Translation Advertising will help marketers reach multicultural consumers. It has worked for advertisers such as General Motors, Hewlett-Packard, McDonald's and Reebok.

Juvenile - The 4-year-old daughter of rapper Juvenile was killed along with her mother and sister at their Georgia home. The woman's 17-year-old son, Anthony Tyrone Terrell, Jr., was charged in the fatal shooting.

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Juvenile - The 4-year-old daughter of rapper Juvenile was killed along with her mother and sister at their Georgia home. The woman's 17-year-old son, Anthony Tyrone Terrell, Jr., was charged in the fatal shooting.

T.I. Performances! - Jump on T.I.’s "Paper Trail," and watch his exclusive BET live concert.

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T.I. - T.I. is staring at a year in prison next year after pleading guilty to illegal possession of three machine guns and two silencers following a 2007 arrest. The rapper insisted he felt the need to protect himself since the shooting death of his assistant and long-time friend, Philant Johnson, in May 2006. Meanwhile, his new album, "Paper Trail," knocks down his image as a rapper who glorifies the street life.

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Diddy (@IamDiddy) - Is there anything Diddy won’t try? “I wanna take a cooking class! I wanna add chef to my resume.”

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Diddy - "The Los Angeles Times" had to issue Diddy an apology for a story linking him to the fatal shooting of Tupac Shakur. The newspaper said that FBI documents it received were bogus. The apologies followed an investigation launched by the paper's editor after the Web site The Smoking Gun reported that the paper was conned by a prisoner who doctored the documents.

50 Cent - You know what's interesting? I look at that platform as another place to express yourself in a different way, to entertain. Not necessarily to create a perception of your actual character, but to be entertaining. When other people used it, it was boring because they were trying to be safe, be politically correct.

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50 Cent - 50 Cent’s baby mama accused the rapper of trying to burn her and their son, Marquise, to death after a suspicious fire ripped through their Long Island home in May. While that beef may not be over, the two did settle a custody dispute over their son. 50 Cent was awarded visitation rights.

Remy Ma - Grammy-nominated rapper Remy Ma was convicted of shooting a woman outside a nightclub last summer. The rapper, who is serving an eight-year prison sentence at Rikers Island, said the shooting was an accident.

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Remy Ma - Grammy-nominated rapper Remy Ma was convicted of shooting a woman outside a nightclub last summer. The rapper, who is serving an eight-year prison sentence at Rikers Island, said the shooting was an accident.

Brandy - Brandy escaped charges in a December 2006 fatal crash that killed a 38-year-old woman due to insufficient evidence, prosecutors said. Brandy reportedly rear-ended a vehicle on the San Diego (405) Freeway near Sepulveda Boulevard in Los Angeles. The other driver, Awatef Aboudihaj, 38, died several hours after the collision.

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Brandy - Brandy escaped charges in a December 2006 fatal crash that killed a 38-year-old woman due to insufficient evidence, prosecutors said. Brandy reportedly rear-ended a vehicle on the San Diego (405) Freeway near Sepulveda Boulevard in Los Angeles. The other driver, Awatef Aboudihaj, 38, died several hours after the collision.

50 Vs. Young Buck - After 50 recorded a phone conversation with Young Buck crying, the internal drama in the G-Unit camp became public. Young Buck and 50 couldn't work out their business behind closed doors.

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50 Cent & Young Buck - 50 Cent ousted Young Buck from G-Unit after a series of events - including his comments regarding lack of royalties - put Buck in "the same space" as The Game.