In case you missed it….BET aired Truth About Women In Hip Hop special earlier this week. Check it out.

Fantasia

Whether its because of the radio success of her single Bittersweet or all the media coverage from her recent suicide attempt, nearly 117,000 people bought copies of Fantasia’s new Back to Me album — enough for her to enter The Billboard 200 chart at No. 2.

She was the only Idol alum that made the Billboard chart’s top 40. Carrie Underwood, Adam Lambert and Daughtry also have albums in the Top 200.

Givenchy Pebbled Nightingale Bag

This Givenchy Pebbled Nightingale Bag makes a great accessory for any summer outfit. This leather satchel bag is detailed with logo embellished leather handles, top zip closure, and removable shoulder strap. The fabric lined interior features a zipper pocket and two small organizational pockets.

Retail Price: $1,975

Sanaa Lathan

Actress Sanaa Lathan was spotted out in Beverly Hills with the Givenchy Pebbled Nightingale Bag.

Givenchy_Pebbled_Nightingale_Bag

Female rapper Rah Digga has thrown fellow New Jersey native Redman on the remix of her latest joint “This Ain’t No Lil Kid Rap,” a track from her upcoming album “Classic.”

The song pays homage to grown folks hip hop.

Check out the new track from Will.i.am featuring Nicki Minaj for “Check It Out“.

Nicki is currently putting the finishing touches on her debut album, Pink Friday, which is slated to be released on November 23rd.

Check out the new video from Cee-Lo Green’s for his latest song “F**k You” from his upcoming solo album, The Lady Killer.

 The Lady Killer will be in stores in December.

John Legend and The Roots shot an 11-minute video of the Bill Withers remake “I Can’t Write Left-Handed” off their collaboration album Wake Up!, which is set for release on September 21.

Tiny & T.I.

Rapper T.I., who is in the top box office movie Takers, and wife Tameka Cottle were arrested late in Los Angeles last night on drug charges.

Cops pulled the two over on Sunset Blvd around 10:18 PM for a traffic violation and then smelled marijuana. During a subsequent search of the vehicle, cops say they found a controlled substance — we’re told it was not cocaine. The class of the controlled substance that was found includes methamphetamines and ecstacy.

UPDATE: We’re now told that the substance was allegedly ecstasy. 

Tiny in handcuffs

The Atlanta-based couple were booked at the West Hollywood sheriff’s station and bail was set at $10,000, reports AP. T.I. and Tameka were released around 4:00AM.

T.I. previously served seven months in an Arkansas federal prison and three months in a Georgia halfway house on federal weapons charges and was released in March.

Lauryn Hill

The DMVwas pissed off with Lauryn Hill on Sunday after she hit the stage over 3 hours late for her Rock the Bells performance.  Now it’s one thing to be fashionably late but being late because you’re getting a mani/pedi is just ridiculous.  According to the Washington Post:

Sunday’s rumor was a doozy, and it was true — she really was three hours late to the stage because she was getting a manicure-pedicure.

Back at the pavilion main stage, the waiting game continued. After a staggering two hours of silence A Tribe Called Quest hit the stage.

Her toenails apparently dry, Lauryn Hill was finally next, but she probably shouldn’t have bothered. The performance was a messy rush through highlights from “Miseducation,” but they were hardly recognizable due to her hoarse voice, speedy delivery and clunky, overstuffed arrangements.

The feedback on her microphone was ear-splitting; special guest Nas came out for a 45-second cameo, and his microphone wasn’t working for half of it. After 20 minutes she departed to an equal mix of cheers and boos, seemingly oblivious as to why anyone might be upset.

Check out the official video from R. Kelly’s “When A Woman Loves” for his upcoming Love Letters EP.

Here’s her brand new video from Jazmine Sullivan or her new single “Holding You Down“.

Paula Cook and son

RadarOnline is reporting that Oprah is attempting to bring Paula Cook on her show to talk about how Fantasia Barrino stole her husband.  Mo’Nique is also hoping to get Cook on her show as well.

She has taken a leave of absence from her teaching job to contemplate all of her options.

A source told RadarOnline:

“Paula has been approached by Oprah’s people to go on her chat show. She still hasn’t decided what she will do though, and she was also approached by Mo’Nique too.

“There was also the chance for her to appear on a new reality show about spurned women, and she’s considering another option to write a book about the whole Fantasia saga.

“At the moment she is weighing up all these offers and is just taking time out to look after her sons.

“She has been allowing Antwaun to spend time with the boys although she is becoming more resigned to the fact that their marriage is definitely over now.

“Despite anything that Fantasia may say about Antwaun being separated from his wife when she started dating him, Paula firmly believes that she knowingly got involved with a married man.”

Meanwhile, we reported, Barrino – whose new album, “Back To Me” was released Tuesday, August 24 – opened-up to People about her recent suicide attempt.

“I didn’t have any fight in me. I didn’t care about anything. I just wanted out,” Barrino, 26, revealed.

“At that moment, I wanted out. I wanted it to be over with – all of it, all of that [expletive].”

In the new interview, Barrino goes in-depth about her actual attempts at self-destruction.

President Barack Obama formally ended the U.S. combat role in Iraq after seven long years of bloodshed, declaring in an Oval Office speech to the nation Tuesday night: “It’s time to turn the page.”

Adamantly opposed to the war from the beginning, Obama said the United States “has paid a huge price” to give Iraqis the chance to shape their future – a cost that now includes more than 4,400 troops dead, tens of thousands more wounded and hundreds of billions of dollars spent.

“We have met our responsibility,” Obama said. “Now it is time to turn the page.”

After praising the men and women in uniform for their sacrifice, Obama said “Tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended. Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country. Having drawn down 100,000 troops since taking office, a much smaller force will stay to train and assist the Iraqi forces during the transition period. …All U.S. troops will leave by the end of next year.”

Obama said he had telephoned Bush, whom he had criticized so often in the 2008 campaign, and praised the former Republican president in the heart of his speech.

“It’s well known that he and I disagreed about the war from its outset,” Obama said. “Yet no one could doubt President Bush’s support for our troops, or his love of country and commitment to our security.”

In a telling sign of the domestic troubles weighing on the United States and his own presidency, Obama turned much of the emphasis in a major war address to the dire state of U.S. joblessness. He said the Iraq war had stripped America of money needed for its own prosperity, and he called for an economic commitment at home to rival the grit and purpose of a military campaign.