Russell Simmons, Others Help Apollo

Mogul Russell Simmons, comedian Jamie Foxx, Alicia Keys and numerous other celebrities attended a benefit for Harlem's legendary Apollo Theater in The Hamptons. The event took place at the estate of billionaire Ronald Perelman, and raised an estimated $1,000,000 for the Apollo.

According to reports, the cost to attend was $100,000 to co-chair, $50,000 to sponsor and $2,500 per person.

Keys, Jamie Foxx, Jon Bon Jovi, Betty Lavette and Ben E. King also performed for the attendees.

Lil Mama Influenced Nicki Minaj?

Lil Mama--remember her?--is claiming that Nicki Minaj ripped off her hairstyle. The pint-size pop rapper says Nicki saw the cut and began to imitate her look. Mind you, this is the same chick that thought that jumping onstage uninvited with Alicia Keys and Jay-Z was a smart idea.

"My cut is blunt and futuristic and Nicki Minaj started wearing that bob on her head after she came to my show, so at the end of the day I know what I do and I know what I possess and I know who I am. I'm a trendsetter,” she said. “The biggest form of flattery is imitation so I'm flattered. I understand the universal law. I'm not confused, I don't feel like a follower. I started so many things that new artists are doing now anyway –my style, the way I'm aggressive on a track, the way I come through, the way my beat bangs. There are so many things that were borrowed, that I influenced that's happening in music right, so I'm far from discouraged.”

“She was a guest on ‘America's Best Dance Crew’ and immediately afterwards, everywhere she went, she was wearing the haircut, the same exact way,” she continued. “But that doesn't make me feel like ‘Oh she's trying to be down’ like how I said about our culture. I'm actually flattered because she imitated me and it felt like something that I was doing was cute and in time for the fashion and for the season, so it's like let's live, let's do it.”

Lil Wayne & Drake BET Performers

Lil Wayne and Drake are among the artists scheduled to perform at the upcoming 2011 BET Awards. The show takes place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on June 26th. Additional performers during the ceremony include Chris Brown, Jill Scott and Alicia Keys.

Drake and Lil Wayne will hit the stage during the ceremony, according to tweets from BET's Stephen Hill. “BET Awards 11. Just announced: Lil' Wayne and Drake will be blazing the Awards show stage!!! June 26 8pm! #betawards,” he tweeted.

The rappers are both nominated for Best Male Hip-Hop Artist and Best Collaboration for their respective duets with Chris Brown and Rihanna.

Alicia Keys On Her Early Career

Alicia Keys is this month's W magazine cover story, and the superstar singer/songwriter discusses her beginnings. It's been a decade since Keys' crashed onto the pop charts with her hit "Falling," and the married mother reflected on her start as a talented teen.

“I just wanted to be who I was, which was like so many other girls I knew. We grew up in the city, had a hard edge and obstacles to overcome, but we were still young and beautiful," Keys says. "I didn’t want to be all dressed up, all made up—I wanted to be myself, which hadn’t been done before.”

“I was a young girl with very strong ideas but no experience," she added. "I just knew that everything else I was doing was wrong—that all the suggestions weren’t what was in my mind, they weren’t what it was meant to be.”

“How terrible would it have been if I had come out with some watered-down version of who I am? People fell in love with the real me, and I still feel blessed that that was how the journey began,” she shared.

Jennifer Hudson On Her Old Size

Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson recently opened about her perceptions of herself prior to her losing weight and how she didn't realize she had a weight problem growing up.

“I never thought I was overweight. I thought my old look was pretty normal. That was how all the girls looked growing up in Chicago. I didn’t have any problem with it. It makes me smile to think back to myself when I did ‘Dreamgirls’ with Beyonce. I did see all these women in Hollywood, all very slim and I thought, ‘Wow, these ladies are very into themselves.’ I loved that I stood out in a room. You knew when you saw this woman it was Jennifer Hudson.”

The singer added that her friends Beyonce and Alicia Keys continue to rave about how great she looks.

Drake Honored For Songwriting

Drake will be honored with the Songwriter's Hall of Fame Hal David Starlight Award. The award honors those artists who have impacted the music industry with their songwriting, and the Young Money rapper will be given the award on June 16 at the 42nd Annual Induction and Awards Dinner.

"Drake shines as a talented songwriter with a unique vision, and we are pleased to honor him with the prestigious Hal David Starlight Award," said Songwriting Hall of Fame chairman Jimmy Webb.

Superstars like John Legend and Alicia Keys have previously been honored with the Hal David Starlight Award.

Mashonda Praises Swizz & Alicia Keys

Despite the dirt that was dished last summer during Mashonda and superproducer Swizz Beatz messy divorce and Swizz's subsequent marriage to superstar Alicia Keys, Mashonda seems to have found peace with the situation and is embracing her extended family in an open letter posted on her blog. Prepping for the debut of her reality show in two weeks, Mashonda shared her perspective on her family life and motherhood.

"As I reflect on my life, I realize how truly blessed I am," Mashonda wrote. "Not only am I the proud mother of my 4-year son Kasseem, I also now have a beautiful blended family to share in his love, development and overall health as a young man."

"As we grow and mature as women, even through break-ups and sometimes divorce, we realize that none of these things compare to the love we have for our children," Mashonda continued. "As a mother, Kasseem’s happiness is the single most important thing in my life. It took some time, but I now realize that even my former husband and his new wife, are my partners in this wonderful journey."

Contributor : Erica Moore