Dr. Dre Selling 51% of Beats Electronics

Legendary hip hop producer Dr. Dre and his company Beats Electronics are selling a 51% stake of the company to HTC, a Taiwanese telephone manufacturer, for $300 million dollars. Beats specializes in making headphones, customized for a number of pop stars, and is a joint venture between Dre, Interscope Records and Jimmy Iovine.

HTC wants to improve the sound quality on its products--which led to the acquiring of a percentage of Beats.

“This will give us opportunity to innovate,” HTC Chief Executive Officer Peter Chou said. “When Jimmy and Dre started this, they had a very specific vision of what Beats would be,” added Beats Electronics president Luke Williams. “It wasn't about headphones, it was about fixing the degradation of sound.”

50 Cent On Album Delay

50 Cent's follow-up to 2009's Before I Self Destruct has seen numerous delays and changes. 50 has been recording something for over a year, but he hasn't been able to keep any of his previously promised release dates. The rapper acknowledged that he's been focused on dropping the hottest album possible.

"I've worked longer on this album than any of my other projects," 50 explained in an interview. "I've had the opportunity to evaluate the things that I created initially, and go back and revamp things and change things around a bit. Both [Eminem] and [Dr.] Dre have had opportunities to critique themselves, when I was always on the shot clock. So this time, I get a chance to really make sure I feel like it's going to be the right music for this time period."

50 Cent Thanks Dre & Eminem

50 Cent is his own man and his own artist, but the Queens-born rapper can never forget the two mentors that helped him become the superstar that he is today. 50 shared his appreciation for Dr. Dre and Eminem and all that they've done throughout his career--and especially the faith that they had in him early on.

"You don't really expect to have someone come into your life... that you know has nothing but good intentions," said 50 of Eminem. "He made so much money selling records that he don't really have interest in a lot of the other stuff... So for me, they'll be asking me questions...about the deals I do away from music. For Dre, the big thing was the 'Beats,' the headset."

"I love Dre...Without 'In Da Club' and Dre's guidance on the first record...none of those other things would've happened!" 50 added. "That's the biggest record of my career still! Dre can be difficult at times, and not intentionally. He can be on his own and in his world...like the [headphone thing], we had to clear that up face-to-face, me and Dre, personally."

50 Cent On Crossover Appeal:

50 Cent recently spoke to MTV about the difference between his career and his mentor/cohort Eminem. Despite the two being affiliated for years, 50 acknowledged that Em has had a different road than 50 Cent as he discussed the benefits and detriments of being a crossover artist in hip hop.

"You can't compare Eminem and 50 Cent's career on any level," 50 added. "Eminem doesn't know what the inside of Hot 97 looks like. He's never even had to go there. So the top 40 and crossover-radio platforms are detrimental to the success of an Eminem project, and for me to get to the top 40 or crossover space, I have to have music that performs so well on your Hot 97s and Power 106s of the world until it actually goes up to that point."

50 Cent Joins "Detox?"

It looks like 50 Cent and Dr. Dre have put their differences behind them.

The former affiliates were reportedly feuding earlier this year over their rival headphone brands, Dre's Beats By Dre and 50's Sleek By 50; but now that 50 has dismantled his headphone line, it looks like the two are buddies again. 50 revealed that he has done some recording for Dre's long-awaited Detox album.

"I did a joint with dre for his album that's crazy. They were suppose to put it out this weekend but you never know with dre," he tweeted. "Soon dre got some heat RT @bigseano84: @50cent when is Dre album detox comin?"

Snoop Criticizes Dr. Dre

Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre are as close as peanut butter and jelly, but the Doggfather had some choice words for his old friend and mentor regarding the approach on Dre's long-delayed Detox album. According to Snoop, the Doctor is screwing with the formula that made 1992's The Chronic and 1999's 2001 classic albums.

"He's got a strong work ethic and I'm gonna say this," Snoop Dogg told Tim Westwood. "I don't know if it's gonna ruffle any feathers, I just think the wrong people are in the environment. When he made records that were hit records in the past, D.O.C., Snoop Dogg, RBX, Kurupt, it's pieces that's not there that need to be there. And I'll say D.O.C. and Snoop Dogg is the backbone. When you take those two equations and take them out of the equation, it's not gonna work. You need to put them two back into the equation and let us mastermind head the project like we did Chronic and 2001. That's what's missing."

50 Cent Wants To Work With Kanye

50 Cent may have lost his record sale 'battle' with Kanye West back in 2007, but the Queens-born superstar wants to collaborate with Kanye on 50's forthcoming album. 50 Cent has been talking about the album for months, but revealed to MTV that he would love to get his former 'rival' on the project in some way.

"The usual suspects. I want to get with Kanye on this album. See if we can come up with something," 50 said. "I didn't work with [Dr.] Dre yet. I wouldn't hold my project up for [Dre production], but I want to get in to do it. It's always a process. I also worked with Swizz Beatz on this one."

Dr. Dre Releasing New Single

Dr. Dre has announced the release of his next single. The track is called "Die Hard," and features Eminem. "Die Hard" is the second Detox single to feature Em, who also contributed verses to the previously-released "I Need a Doctor."

The single will be premiering after the May 6th episode of "Fight Camp 360: Pacquiao/Mosley."

Though more and more material from the Detox album has begun making the rounds to the public, it should be noted that the album still does not have an official release date.

Dr. Dre Partners WIth Chrysler

Dr. Dre, like his protege Eminem, has developed a new partnership with Chrysler. The legendary producer's Beats By Dre technology will be included in the 2012 300 Sedan, with Dre helping to design and tune the 10-speaker sound system that comes in the new vehicle.

Dre and Interscope CEO Jimmy Iovine will also be working on the sound for other models after the 300S rolls out.

"Our partnership with the Chrysler Group will set the bar for the way music should be heard in cars," said Iovine. "Beats By Dr. Dre has always been about restoring the emotional music connection between an artist and the listener, and Chrysler vehicles beginning with the Chrysler 300S will let drivers hear music the way the artists intended, replicating the feel and the sound that artists and producers work so hard to achieve."

It was also announced that Dre will be starring in a new Chrysler commercial.