Kanye's outselling 50

The race for the top of the chart started yesterday when albums by 50 Cent and Kanye West's albums hit stores.

According to early sales reports, Kanye West's Island Def Jam album Graduation is on pace to sell over 750,000 copies the first week in stores, while 50 Cent's Shady/Aftermath/Interscope album Curtis is expected to move around 550,000 units.

West's Graduation is expected to debut at the top of the Billboard Top 200 charts next week, while Curtis will battle for the #2 spot with country music star Kenny Chesney.

Retail outlets have said that Kanye is outselling 50 by at least 2 to 1.

Sean John Women's clothing

Sean "Diddy" Combs' Sean John clothing line has partnered with G-III Apparel Group to launch the new Sean John Women's collection.

G-III is one of the world's top manufacturer and marketers of licensed clothing brands, owning the fashion licensing rights to Calvin Klein, Guess?, Nine West, House of Dereon, IZOD, Tommy Hilfiger and other clothing labels.

The new Sean John Women's line is a juniors, "urban collection with a contemporary edge," featuring jeans, dresses, outwear, velour track suits, flirty tops, graphic tees and other pieces.

The initial line will launch in the Sean John Flagship store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, followed by releases in major department stores like Dillard's, Macy's, Dr. Jay's, Man Alive and other stores.

Bad Boy Recording artist Cassie, Asia (Pussy Cat Dolls) and actress Lauren London have been selected as the faces for the Sean John Women's advertising campaign, which was shot by photographer Warwick Saint.

"From day to night, the new Sean John collection for women is glamorous and sexy with the style and swagger that customers have come to expect from our label," Combs said in a statement.

Sean John is also preparing a women's fragrance launch with partner Estee Lauder in the fall of 2007.

"Our mission at Sean John is to create an affordable, lifestyle collection for the female consumer who desires innovative design and high quality," noted Leslie Singer, President of Sean John's Women's. "We are thrilled by the reception we have received from retailers and are looking forward to bringing this collection to market."

Prices for pieces in the new collection range from $59-$299.

Plies - 100 Years

Shaq files for a divorce

The Miami Herald is reporting that Shaq filed for divorce. The Miami Heat center wants to divorce his wife of nearly five years.

"The marriage between the parties is irretrievably broken," says his petition, filed Tuesday by attorney Ira Elegant.

The O"Neals have four children together " Shareef, 7, Amirah, 5, Shaqir, 4, and Me"Arah, 1. Shaq has a daughter, Taahirah, and Shaunie has a son, Myles, from previous relationships.

The family lives on miami Beach"s exclusive Star Island. They bought an $18.8 million estate in the summer of "04, at the time of his trade to the Heat. It is for sale " Shaq is asking $32 million.

In the petition, O"Neal refers to the Star Island mansion as "the former marital home."Shaunie, he says, has been ""secretive about her assets . . . particularly with respect to certain properties owned or titled in either her name alone or in other entities."

He wants the court to order Shaunie to give a "correct accounting of all money, funds, stocks, bonds, and other securities (including bearer securities)" that she came into during the marriage.

Foxy sentenced to a year in prison

Foxy Brown was sentenced to one year in prison for violating her probation.

Brown, 28, was already on probation for assaulting two employees of a Manhattan nail salon in 2004, was arrested on Aug. 14.

She was charged with assaulting her Brooklyn neighbor with a Blackberry during a dispute over the volume of her car stereo in July.

According to the Associated Press, Judge Melissa Jackson cited several high profile incidents involving Foxy Brown, including an unauthorized trip to Florida that resulted in assault charges, an incident in Mahwah, New Jersey that resulted in an arrest and a number of traffic violations, a move to Mahwah, N.J. without permission and failure to report to probation officers.

Judge Jackson also stated that Brown had dropped out of court-ordered anger management classes with a psychologist.

"I'm willing to do whatever I need to do to change," Brown told Judge Jackson in court. "I realize that's not where I want to be. It's humbled me in ways I never imagined."

Judge Jackson was stern in her ruling, ordering the pregnant rapper to jail for a year.

"I'm not going to give you any more chances," Judge Jackson said. "I hope you turn your life around and never again have to stand in a court of law."

Brown will be eligible for parole in eight months.

Game to stand trial

Game will stand trial on three felony charges stemming from a February incident, in which he allegedly pulled a gun on a rival player during a basketball game in South Los Angeles.

According to police, the rapper became involved in an altercation with a player from the unknown team at the Rita Walters Educational Learning Complex on February 24.

After he allegedly struck the victim, The Game allegedly pulled a gun from his red Cadillac Escalade and threatened the man.

More attention was drawn to the incident when an unnamed police officer used a mobile phone to take footage of The Game in a holding cell and flashing a wad of money.

The Game faces three felony charges including making criminal threats, possession of a firearm in a school zone and exhibiting a firearm on the grounds of a facility for minors.

The Game, born Jayceon Taylor, has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Game is free on $50,000 bail and faces five years in prison.

Gucci Mane - Freaky Gurl

Ruff Ryders CEO indicted

Ruff Ryders Records' co-CEO Darrin Dean was indicted on drug charges in Hackensack, New Jersey and faces up to 20 years in prison, after police found 1 kilo and a half of cocaine and a gun in a customized compartment in a van he was traveling in.

Dean and the van's driver Jerry Gilbert were arrested on May 31, after police stopped the vehicle for having a broken tail light on the Palisades Interstate Parkway.

When police approached the vehicle noticed the odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle and decided to search the van.

Police brought a K-9 unit to the scene and a dog detected the scent of cocaine.

A detective soon uncovered a trap door built into the rear wall of the van and when the compartment was lowered, 1 1/2 kilos of cocaine and a loaded .Intratec .45 were recovered.

Police claim Gilbert, was leaving Dean's Suffern, New York home at the time of the arrest.

According to the Bergen County Record, a Bergen County grand jury has charged both Dean and Gilbert with possession of large amounts of cocaine with intent to distribute, charges that could land the Hip-Hop executive behind bars for two decades.

Dean is free on $342,500 bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned in the next month.

Dean runs Ruff Ryders with his brother Joaquin "Waah" Dean and sister Chivon Dean.

The label has sold over 20 million records, based on hits from The Lox, Eve, Swizz Beatz and rapper DMX.

T Pain..."We spread out everywhere"

T-Pain's tour bus is bristling with activity these days. Nope, we're not talking about groupies: Teddy Pain has been working.

His bus has a full studio, and you'll see anybody from E-40 to Da Brat up in there making new material. He's trying to keep in step with the active schedule of the man who signed him: Akon.

"It's not really competitive. It's like we're working together," Pain said. "We try to not be in the same place at the same time. People be like, 'Why I don't never see you and Akon together, y'all not cool?' Nah, that's when you the most cool. ... We spread out everywhere. If he's in California, I'm in New York. People see me and Akon as the same person, so it's basically like Konvict Muzik is spread across the country at the same time. We could cover more places spread out.

Now every song on the radio is T-Pain or Akon or featuring Akon or featuring T-Pain.

"One of Pain's favorite collabos right now is the remix of R. Kelly and Usher's "Same Girl." T plays the woman-in-question's irate husband."Just a couple people I hang around," he laughed about who inspired the lyrics to his verse.

"It happens all the time. People's wives get caught up. ... They didn't mean to, it just happens. It's real-life situations. Just because it's somebody's wife don't mean they can't get bounced around. I had to put my twist on it."

For the record, Pain said he's definitely not talking about his own spouse. "I'd be in jail," he said with a laugh when asked what he would do if that situation ever happened to him.Pain's next big guest appearance will be on Kanye West's next single, "Good Life."

"I had to go in the studio six times and redo the hook. Rewrite it and sing it," he said about working with the perfectionist Kanye. Despite all the changes, Pain said it was an honor.

"The last time he wasn't even there; he was just like, 'Do something, man.' Even when we did the video, he did something to the song that day." ...

Luda's "Strength in Numbers" pushed back

If you're looking for Ludacris' DTP compilation "Strength in Numbers" to be in stores today, forget about it. It's not happening for a long while.

The album, which was supposed to feature 'Cris and artists such as Chingy, Shareefa and Bobby Valentino, has been pushed back so the company can concentrate on the release of Playaz Circle's debut album, Supply and Demand.

According to Luda's people, Circle's "Duffle Bag Boy" made so much noise, they had to capitalize on the momentum of the song.

Yung Joc..."Hustlenomics"

When Yung Joc talks about his hustle game being tight, you better listen. The boy is stacking that paper. Big paper. He ranked on the Forbes list of top-paid rappers — a great feat for anybody, but especially for somebody who made the list with just a debut album under his belt.

"Thanks to God first, the fans, I have a wonderful support team: Block Entertainment, the Warner Music Group, Atlantic, Special Ops and media outlets like this one here," Joc said on the humble last week.

"It takes more than the average civilians could ever imagine to be a star or a celebrity. It's a lot of hard work, determination and ambition." Joc's aptly titled Hustlenomics drops today.

"My hustle is hip-hop," he said. "That's what I'm good with and I have to supply the demand. People want a hit record, I have to give that to them. People want to see a good show, I have to give that to them."

Diddy, Rick Ross, Game, Jim Jones, Snoop Dogg, Young Dro, Bun B and Trick Daddy are among the guest stars on the album, but the Atlanta native said the cameo that will have all the people talking is Pacman — the little guy from the "Coffee Shop" video and single.

Remy Ma mixtape cover controversy

Remy Ma has a whole lot of controversy on her hands this week. Remy, who is awaiting trial on attempted-murder charges, just released the mixtape/DVD Shesus Khryst. The cover depicts Remy hanging from a cross topless with a loincloth covering her private parts. Although she's been doing shows and appearing at parties since her arrest a few weeks ago, the former Terror Squad member has been on interview silence, so she can't explain.