The roster for the 2010 Bonaroo Music and Arts Festival were announced today (February 9), and rap legend Jay-Z is set to headline the four-day event in Manchester, Tennessee.

Scheduled to go down on June 10-13, the annual concert, which boasts hundreds of acts across multiple stages, will also include a slew of hip-hop artists like Kid Cudi, Jay Electronica and Wale.

Tickets for the show are currently on sale at bonnaroo.com.

This isn’t the only music festival that Hov will be playing this spring. As previously reported, the Brooklyn-bred rap superstar will be gracing the Coachella Valley Music and Arts fest in April. —William Nilly

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DatNewCudi.com: Memories - David Guetta Feat. Kid Cudi from DP on Vimeo.

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In all honesty, though, I’m actually dealing with a loss much closer to home today. This morning I woke up to find the lifeless body of my nephew’s goldfish, Nemo, lying in his bowl. I feel really bad for Nemo’s passing. In fact, I feel personally responsible.

It’s all my fault.

I’ve been caring (and not doing a very good job of it) for Nemo ever since my nephew left him at my house a few weeks ago. His stay was only supposed to be temporary, but I was starting to bond with the lil’ dude. I don’t do pets, but a goldfish was okay. Problem was I’m hardly ever home and the lil’ guy needed to eat on a regular schedule. Long story short, I think he either died from starvation or overfeeding with me trying to make up for missing a day or two.

I haven’t told my nephew yet, but every time I think about how I’ll do it I remember The Cosby Show episode when Rudy’s goldfish, Lamont, died and they held a funeral in the bathroom.

Of course watching that got me to thinking about all the dope R.I.P songs in hip-hop. Joints like D.R.S’ “Gangsta Lean” and Master P’s “I Miss My Homies.” You know the generic ode to a lost friend that hits home for everyone.

There aren’t enough of these songs to go around anymore. How come rappers hardly make these as singles anymore? Has hip-hop lost its compassion for the dearly departed? In memory of those that we’ve lost I wanted to make a list of some of my favorite R.I.P. records. This goes out to you, Nemo. —Rondell Conway

1. Pete Rock & CL Smooth “They Reminisce Over You”

2. D.R.S “Gangsta Lean”

3. The L.O.X. “We’ll Always Love Big Poppa”

4. T.I. “Touch The Sky”

5. Puff Daddy “I’ll Be Missing You”

6. 2Pac “I Ain’t Mad At Cha”

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We know, because the guy who invented the Hip-Hop Police said so on MTV, that Lil Wayne will be receiving preferential treatment. Rikers Island, a legendary shithole (just like my humble abode), doesn’t have a special wing for celebrities, or guys who have been known to kiss other guys on the lips, but they’re probably gonna keep Lil Wayne in lockdown, and have a supervisor accompany him when he has to be in the main area, lest someone try to test him for his fruit cocktail, like in Half Baked.

But I’m still not sure how safe I’d feel in the joint, just because I had a cell to myself and a chaperon to escort me to the cafeteria, as if I was in the second grade. We’ve all seen those pictures of prison guards asleep on the job, as if they did too many Jagerbombs at a house party - which can get paynas drawn on a guy’s face with a sharpie, like in the movie Garden State. I shudder to think what it might get you in prison. Lil Wayne’s fellow inmates might not like the idea of him getting a room to himself, and his own personal security detail. He’ll be looked after more often than not, but it wouldn’t take very long for some in a gray skull cap to bend him over a chair in the library.

As the saying goes, where there’s a will, there’s the possibility of a vicious anal rape.

You’d think the guys in Rikers Island would want to do something bad to Lil Wayne, if only to make an example out of him. The fact that they’re in jail would lead me to believe that they might be fans of his music, but they can’t just have people thinking a guy like Lil Wayne can do a year on Rikers Island and walk out unscathed. Or can they? The reason I ask is because the traditional idea of what constitutes a badass seems to be falling by the wayside, along with baggy jeans and good rap music. There was a time when pretending to be a member of the bloods could get you shot. Like 2Pac. And obviously that time has long since passed. Gangs have gotten so soft that I’m thinking about joining the Crips just for the exercise. Maybe I’ll start my own set. I wouldn’t want to fuck around and end up in a gang with any actual criminals. There’s a lot of expensive shit in my house.

Plus, there’s the fact that New York has gotten so soft. If you just have to do a year in jail, to boost your street cred, or because you lack the sense god gave geese, Rikers Island might actually be the best place for you. The other day I saw a list of the most dangerous cities in America, and New York wasn’t anywhere on it. The top cities were all shitty Midwestern cities, like Detroit and my native STL. And jails on the West Coast might be even worse, because they’ve got all of those hispanic gang members, and those hispanic gang members, and those hispanic gang members don’t play. I heard Arnold Schwarzenegger was thinking about sending them all back to Mexico. Which would seem like a good idea, except it’s only a mattter of time before they all find their way back. And by a matter of time, I mean a matter of hours.

Oddly enough, the same bullshit policy that got Lil Wayne sent up in the first place might be his saving grace in the pokey. I finally got around to further research his case just now, because they had a little something on MTV, and come to find out the reason Lil Wayne plead guilty is because the gun laws in New York are such bullshit. The gun they found on his bus was registered to his manager, and his lawyers really did consider the money shot defense I suggested the other day, but the thing is, if they lost, Wayne would have been sent up for 15 years or something ridonkulous like that. Whereas, if you got caught with a gun here in the STL, 5-0 would have checked your pockets to make sure you didn’t have any cash on you and sent you on your merry way. We basically have no law here. That’s why we’re so badass. New York, on the other hand? Not so much.

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Lil Wayne won’t be going to jail just yet. Young Money President Mack Maine took to his twitter minutes ago to announce that the rap superstar’s sentencing date has been postponed.

“Extension till march 2nd!!!!!” Maine just wrote on the social networking site. “Thanx for da prayers LOVE y’all…and Wayne said thanx for da prayers too..ym!!!”

MTV News reports that the New Orleans-bred rapper’s jail date was delayed due to dental surgery. Wayne’s lawyer Stacey Richman told Judge Charles H. Solomon that Wayne is suffering from a cracked tooth. He is set to undergo surgery on February 12 and will need at least 10 days to recover.

“I don’t want this to get pushed back anymore,” Solomon said. “This is the last adjournment.”

As previously reported, Wayne was expected to be sentenced today in Manhattan criminal court and then begin serving his time.

The Grammy award-winning MC was arrested in July 2007, following a concert at Manhattan’s Beacon Theatre. After smelling marijuana coming from Wayne’s tour bus, officers pulled the vehicle over and allegedly found a .40 caliber semi-automatic loaded gun belonging to the rapper.

Originally claiming innocence, Weezy switched his plea two years later for a lesser charge. On October 22, 2009 the rap superstar officially pled guilty to a second-degree attempted gun possession charge. He will most likely only have to serve eight-months on good behavior of his one-year sentence.

In related news, Wayne still faces drug and weapons charges in Arizona. That trial is scheduled to begin in March.

Last night, Birdman Jr. went on UStream to address his fans. “I’m out this bitch,” he said. “To all my fans, my real fans, I really, really, really truly love you. I love you with all of me, for real. I’ll probably be loving everything else because I love you so much. Thank you from the bottom [of my heart]. Do not forget about me ’cause I will forever think about you, and I cannot wait for you to see me again. I’m out.” —Elan Mancini

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Tonight’s the night. XXL is presenting a benefit show in support of Haiti earthquake relief efforts with Jim Jones, Juelz Santana and Styles P at Manhattan’s Webster Hall and we have five pairs of tickets for giveaway.

The first five readers to email xxl@harris-pub.com with their full name and email address with the answer to the following question will win the tickets. Name one song that both Jim Jones and Styles P appeared on together. XXL will notify the winners by email.

The show will be held at the Studio Space in Webster Hall in tandem with the release of XXL’s March Issue, which includes stories on Gucci Mane, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, Rakim, Styles P, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Plies and Wale.

Ticket are $15 at the door and can also be purchased online by credit card. All ticket sales will be donated on behalf of the participating artists to The American Red Cross’s earthquake relief effort in Haiti. —XXL Staff

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Bun B
No Mixtape

Beats: XL
Lyrics: XL
Originality: XL

Originally, Bun B’s latest effort, No Mixtape, wasn’t even supposed to happen. So it’s ironic that, after teasing his upcoming solo album, Trill OG, by releasing tons of freestyles at the top of 2010, the Houston rapper has packaged them all into one of the best mixtapes of the year thus far.

Showcasing why he’s been able to steal the spotlight on countless guest appearances over the years, Bun freestyles his way through a variety of beats on No Mixtape. From “Big Dick Cheney,” where he wisely forgoes the opportunity to become the umpteenth rapper to grace Jay Electronica’s “Exhibit C” in favor of Rakim’s neck-breaking “Walk These Streets,” to “(2) Dope Boyz,” where he flows gracefully over OutKast’s 1996 hit, “2 Dope Boyz (In A Cadillac),” the UGK rapper proves he’s versatile enough to body any beat. He’s able to speed his flow up on Twista’s “Adrenaline Rush,” show off his dark side on the loony Slaughterhouse joint, “Coocoo,” and even tap into his rock sensibilities on Kevin Rudolf’s single, “I Made It.”

Though Bun could have trimmed some of the 28 tracks featured on No Mixtape—including the ho-hum “Play Cloths,” over Clipse’s “Popular Demand”—it’s hard to fault him considering the way the project came together. His redemptive freestyle “The Champion,” over another Clipse anthem (“Champion,”) helps put it all into perspective. “First it was ‘no mixtape,’ and now it’s No Mixtape/And if you’re a rapper, bitch, it’s better than your mixtape.” Hard to argue with that. —Chris Yuscavage

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