Jermaine Dupri confirmed Wednesday (October 25) that he has voluntarily resigned as president of Urban Music at Virgin Records. The producer and So So Def CEO reportedly left the label after poor promotional efforts of his girlfriend Janet Jackson’s latest album, 20 Y.O, which was executive produced by Dupri. Despite appearing on the cover of nearly every magazine and an appearance on Oprah, Jackson’s album sales fell below expectations following the commercial failure of her last album, Damita Jo. “Since there are so many rumors running rampant about my position at Virgin Records, I feel that it is necessary to set the record straight,” Dupri said via a statement. “I was not forced out of the company, I made a decision that it was in my best interest to leave.” ...

Atlanta rapper T.I. has topped all other artists with eight nominations for the upcoming first-ever Black Entertainment Television Hip-Hop Awards.

The Georgia rapper, whose real name is Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., was named as a competitor in ceremony-high eight categories Thursday including Hip-Hop MVP of the Year, Video of the Year, and Hip-Hop CD of the year, AllHipHop.com reported. read on