September 22, 2005 @ 6:25 pm

News Briefs: Paul Wall is the Champ, Beyonce Changes Clothes, Foxy Brown

by: Zack Cimini

Asylum records took a big chance by signing both Houston rappers Wall and Mike Jones, along with their SwishaHouse label, and it paid off big time. This week Asylum has their third top ten hip hop artist. Paul Wall's The People's Champ, sold 176,800 copies in its first week. "First, Mike Jones, then Webbie, now Paul Wall, it's been a great year for Asylum Records," said Todd Moscowitz, president, Asylum Records. left In other Houston artist news, Beyonce's new The House of Dereon fashion label, with her mother Tina Knowles, will launch in October. "Our line is going to be different from other celebrity lines in that we are really designing it," said Tina to the Los Angeles Times. The line features jeans, shoes, hand bags, dresses, and fur coats. With Hurricane Rita threatening the Gulf Coast, it’s good to know that hip hop artists will stand up if needed. Since Hurricane Katrina's aftermath, the world has seen how generous rappers can truly be. Still, most rappers have been low profiled by the media. Commitment from artists to help out communities prior to Katrina has been going on for quite some time. After the latest, Heal the Hood concert in Atlanta, artists such as David Banner, T.I., Nelly, and Big Boi have talked about how they've been routinely involved in their communities. According to the Atlanta newspaper, Outkast gives away three scholarships annually to the top high school students at their alma mater, Tri-Cities. Nelly is another hip hop rapper who has been actively involved with the youth. "We have the Fo Sho for Kids Foundation (a literacy program) and we have the Jes Us for Jackie Foundation (named after his late sister), which helps people get signed up on the bone marrow/stem cell registry. We're real advocates for fighting against leukemia and when it comes down to it, we've actually been able to save a few lives," said Nelly. Allhiphop.com has reported that Foxy Brown will undergo surgery for her hearing defect. At a Manhattan courthouse, during an appearance in court for her alleged assault on two nail salon workers, the 25 year old rapper announced that her last public appearance will be on Sunday. Brown also shared that she intends to complete her upcoming album, which Big Daddy Kane is featured on.