Biggie's family files another lawsuit

The family of Notorious B.I.G. filed a second wrongful death lawsuit today against the City of Los Angeles in connection with the rapper's 1997 slaying, alleging that rogue Los Angeles police officers took part in the killing. The filing claims that former LAPD officer Rafael Perez and his ex-partner, Nino Durden conspired to murder the rapper, and that the Police Department covered up their involvement because they were both at the heart of an LAPD scandal involving abuses by members of a Rampart Division anti-gang squad.

B.I.G.--real name Christopher Wallace--was killed in 1997 as he left the Vibe Awards at the Peterson Automotive Museum. His killing has remained unsolved, although all sorts of theories abound, from it being a revenge killing for the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur to other gang-related conflicts. This latest lawsuit also alleges that at the time of the killing, Perez was working for Death Row Records, the rap music company the employed Shakur and was owned by Marion "Suge" Knight, who has denied any involvement in the killing.

Wallace's widow, singer Faith Evans, along with his mother Violetta and two children, filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court, seeking unspecified damages. The filing comes on the heels of the family's first wrongful death suit against the city, which ended in a mistrial in 2005 when it was discovered that a police detective intentionally hid statements by a jailhouse informant linking the killing to Perez and former officer David Mack, who also has denied involvement.

Report: Beyonce eyes Def Jam

Although she still has two albums left on her contract with Sony, Beyonce is eyeing a move to Def Jam, the label run by her boyfriend Jay-Z, according to a report this week in the New York Post. Jay-Z "has been trying to get her to Def Jam for a while," the paper quoted a source as saying. "He would love to oversee her career--he kind of does anyway."

But the talk could also be a ploy to snare big money from Sony, whose 2004 merger with BMG remains in regulatory limbo. "Sony has had a bad year - all the hit acts, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and the American Idol kids, are all on BMG," the source said. "They can't afford to lose Beyonce. They'll probably mortgage the farm to keep her, which means a lot more money for Beyonce--and Jay-Z if they get married."

Simmons criticizes Obama

The most powerful music industry executives in hip-hop gathered today to discuss the controversy surrounding the backlash against hip-hop in the wake of Don Imus' bigoted remarks about the Rutgers University basketball team. With several national figures calling for hip-hop to do its part to remove misogyny from its lyrics, Def Jam founder Russell Simmons has gathered the likes of T.I., Lyor Cohen, LA Reid, and Kevin Liles into a closed-door meeting to discuss the subject.

But earlier this week, Simmons criticized US presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., for his criticism of rapper's lyrics. "My response to Sen. Obama is that you have to talk about the poverty and ignorance that creates such a climate that the poets can talk like that," Simmons told ABC News. "And all the politicians owe them an education and an opportunity for a better life, and maybe they'll say something better."

Fergie, Banderas, Murphy line up for Shrek 3

For all those Eddie Murphy fans who have been dying for the "Party All the Time" singer to get back in the studio are in luck. Murphy, whose Donkey character is central to the Shrek series, has recorded a duet with Antonio Banderas on Sly & the Family Stone's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again)" as the first single from the Shrek 3 soundtrack.

The Geffen Records disc is due in US stores May 15, three days before the DreamWorks film opens across North America. Murphy has previously sung the Monkees' "I'm a Believer" and Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca" as Donkey on the first two Shrek soundtracks, which have sold 3.6 million copies in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album will also include Fergie's cover of Heart's classic "Barracuda," Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song," Paul McCartney and Wings' "Live and Let Die," Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle," the Ramones' "Do You Remember Rock'n'Roll Radio" and eels' "Royal Pain."

Right Said Fred singer to run for office

There is one thing Richard Fairbrass is not too sexy for, and that is running for political office. The Right Said Fred singer said this week that he is tired of paying the city's traffic congestion charge and is planning to run for mayor of London to recall it. Fairbrass has promised to run against Ken Livingstone and has already made official inquires about launching his campaign.

The singer, who shot to fame in 1991 with the hit "I'm Too Sexy," will stand as an independent candidate and told The Sun, "Ken Livingstone has lost the plot. London has turned into a rich man's playground. The congestion charge needs a massive overhaul--real Londoners should get a massive discount." Right Said Fred is set to release a new album later this month.