Quick News on Swizz Beatz, Fatman Scoop and Hot 96.3

In an interview with MTV News, Swizz Beatz announced he was recently hospitalized for meningitis. According to the self-proclaimed “One Man Band,” he became sick after staying up for four straight days while working on tracks for 50 Cent, Madonna, Chris Brown and Usher. “I was paralyzed from my legs down,” Swizz told MTV News. “I was twisted. I was fucked up. Niggas call me The Monster because how I work in the studio so hard. I can’t do it no more. I gotta be on the schedule but still be able to do what I have to do. I just gotta invest in my health right now. That day I went to the hospital changed my whole life. I could have came out in a wheelchair.” According to Swizz, his immune system was low from not eating right, but he ignored the warnings. “That day when we was in the studio, I was exhausted,” he says. “I’m going to the crib and I had a hard time getting out of my truck. I get out of the seat and I’m damn near limping. I was barley making it up my steps. I damn near fell in the bed and my wife was like, ‘You have to go to the doctor immediately.’ They had to carry me downstairs...got to the hospital, they stuck a needle in my spine. That changed my life; trust me. God gave me one more chance to get my shit right.”

According to the Gulf Times, Hot 97 radio host and hype-man, Fatman Scoop, will perform at The Diplomatic Club in Doha, Qatar on June 7. Viva International, a promotion company that plans shows in Canada, Mexico and Ireland, has called on Scoop to help launch their first event in Qatar. Despite winning a Grammy in 2005 for Best Rap Song — “Lose Control” with Missy Elliot and Ciara — Fatman Scoop’s biggest success came overseas. His collaboration with The Crooklyn Clan on “Be Faithful” was a No. 1 hit in the UK and Ireland in 2003.

Indiana hip-hop radio station, Hot 96.3, is holding an anti-gun, anti-gang rap contest. According to the Indianapolis Star, aspiring MCs between the ages of 14 and 18 can submit their original songs — which must promote a positive, anti-gun or anti-gang message — to the station in hopes of winning a shot to film a video for their song. The 10 best songs submitted will get the chance to record their material in a real studio and have their songs played at Black Expo in July. After which, the grand prize winner will be chosen and their song will be made into a music video and played on Hot 96.3.