You’d think with million dollar contracts and endorsement deals, foreclosures would be the last thing singers, athletes, and every other celebrity under the sun would have to worry about. But as we’ve seen all too often, money management skills are not prominent on the Hollywood scene. Check out the latest celebs who may soon find themselves homeless.

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Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill made Grammy history by becoming the first woman to be nominated in ten categories in a single year and the first woman to win five times in one night. Her album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” went on to sell more than 19 million records worldwide but succumbing to the pressures that followed, the New Jersey native took a break from the industry. Hill has since resurfaced but with some money problems. In April of this year, her landlord hit the “Ex-Factor” singer with an eviction notice. A settlement was reached in court a few days ago and Hill has agreed to pay $7,000 in rent and vacate the property. Earlier this year, Hill pled guilty to tax evasion and was sentenced to 3 months behind bars.

Nothing puts a stop to shine quicker than drug addiction. Just ask Whitney, Bobby, DJ Screw or any of the hundreds of other celebrities that fell into the life and couldn’t climb out. These celebrities are quickly following in their footsteps.

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Rihanna

RiRi is suffering from all the classic symptoms of pot head itis. She shows up to work late, cancels appointments and she’s dating a dude that nobody sober could stomach. Maybe if she puts down the blunt she can make those tour dates instead of having to fake doctor’s appointments.

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Who else felt like this war of words was bound to happen at some point?

For anyone who watched Love and Hip Hop Atlanta, you know that the whole Lil Scrappy and Diamond (formerly from Crime Mob) relationship of yesteryear was a touchy subject for the rapper, seeing as how she broke his heart and allegedly left him to get money with rapper Soulja Boy. Of course, we know that Scrappy sowed his wild oats after the fact, went back to Erica Dixon, the mother of his daughter, continued to sow his oats when he thought no one was looking with “friend” Buckeey, and then finally decided to get his life together and do right by Dixon and proposed to her. As for Diamond and Soulja Boy, they have quietly been dating for a while now, and there are rumors that the two will appear on the next season of LHHATL after Diamond passed on the opportunity for the debut season. And while Scrappy was hurt about Diamond revealing her relationship with Scrappy to the world via Twitter before letting him know, things seemed to be peaceful between all parties for the most part, even when Diamond’s name was negatively brought up on the show. But that was until yesterday.

The two men basically had a heated exchange on Twitter where threats were thrown. It’s not clear how the whole mess started, but it seems that Scrappy is looking to finish it–in person. The two men went back and forth about a “war,” folks being on the down low, who has more money, and other very random things. According to The Jasmine Brand, and from what we can see from her Twitter page, Diamond definitely was sitting back, chilling and watching all the ratchetness take place (and she probably was laughing at two grown men fighting over her), even retweeting some of the quotes. Though I think it’s a shame they were exposing all her business…

Either way, these people with clearly too much time on their hands need to sit down somewhere. And seriously, I’m wondering what Erica thinks about this mess. If my fiancé was bickering with some fool over his ex publicly on Twitter, I would probably be bickering with him too at the end of the night. And can men please stop calling women a “b***h” when they reference one? Just saying, it’s so tired at this point. But anywho, check out the foolery below from their tit-for-tat, as always, read from the bottom up when it comes to Tweets, and please excuse the language:

Oh yes, LHHATL shall be a very interesting mess next season…

So, Sinead O’Connor drafted this five page open letter in regards to the tragic murder (yes, I am calling this a murder) of Trayvon Martin. Besides expressing her sincere and well written sympathies for his murder, she also went off on a tangent to ask why Black youth are killing each other and to blast the music industry, particularly Black rappers, who are “silent in the spiritual matters of importance right now.”

O’Connor writes: “Don’t be guided by rap. Gangsta or otherwise. Sure.. enjoy it.. adore it…as I do… but realize this…rap ain’t about your civil or spiritual rights, baby boys and girls. It.. along with most music nowadays.. is about falsenesses and vanities. Bling, drugs, sex, guns and people- dissing. It’s giving you the message you ain’t ‘good enough’ if you don’t have bling and ting.. and money. Or if you’re not what it deems ‘Hot’.

Then she said: “Forget bling. Forget “Get Rich Or Die Trying.” That is an evil message. Evil my dears is only life backwards. Turn it the right way up. With music. The messages American black youth are being given through music are not about the spiritual and therefore strong and conquering but PEACEFUL making of YOUR country into the wonderful place it secretly is and can be.. BECAUSE OF YOU, and BY YOU!!

O’Connor, who is probably best known for the cover of Prince’s Nothing Compares to U (I actually prefer her cover to the Prince version) and tearing up a picture of the Pope on Saturday Night Live (which ultimately killed her career and got her a one way ticket back to Ireland), had some really good food for thought in the letter. Her analysis about this being the year of change seems prophetic and I’ve often speculated about the cosmic significance behind the series of events happening globally; from the uprisings to the OWS to strange weather, rising gas prices and even the Martin murder.

Likewise O’Connor raises a somewhat valid point in relation to Black on Black violence.  It’s a similar sentiment that I have heard expressed by other folks, who ask why is so much attention being placed on one death when there are other deaths at the hands of Black folks happening everyday in the community.  I don’t know to me this whole “but what about Black on Black violence” discussion does nothing but to derail what should be our rightful reaction to a grave injustice. Last I checked, the police and prosecutors were not refusing to arrest the Black perpetrators of violence or helping them to hide their guilt – allegedly. Likewise, not everyone has been silent in the community about black on black violence. In fact there have been plenty of marches and rallies, as what we witnessed in the Martin situation. There are also mentors, community activists, teachers and after school providers who have been doing the work to save our Black men. Now, just because those, who are attempting to derail the outrage (and focus on what we have already been doing), haven’t heard of it probably has more to do with your involvement in these communities than your sudden concern about Black on Black violence.  But O’Connor (and others) paternalism aside, move to the point: Rap Music.

O’Connor calls out the rappers for having a lack of awareness and virtually being MIA when it comes to important stuff in the community. I have written similar pieces about the lack of conscious music in hip-hop and the over concentration on acquired material wealth, which has been projected into the music.  So I totally get where she is coming from. But I do wonder if we are making scapegoats out of rappers and ignoring the very systematic conditions behind why these rappers might not speak out.

For example, Shadow and Act is reporting that a TV show is currently being taped called “Ghetto Court” featuring DJ Eric B as the judge. Yes, one half of the same dynamic duo that gave us Lyrics of Fury, Know the Ledge and Don’t Sweat the Technique will be pretending to be a judge on a show with “ghetto” in the title.  Not much else is known about the show other than it is expected to air “sometime this year” and supposedly they already have 25 episodes in the can.

Now, while it is at all possible that this program will show a more humanizing aspect of folks who live in lower class communities called ghettos and that there gripes will be treated with the utmost dignity and respect. But this is television, which is the same medium that gives us “Basketball Wives,” “Love & Hip Hop” and the “Real Housewives of Atlanta.” In the land where ratings are key, no one is interested in the more humanizing side of the Black experience (or any experience for that matter, just ask Oprah), they want to see fights between crack addicts and baby moms. So there is no need to guess the level of debauchery and the shenanigans that will transpire on this show.

I want to be mad at Eric B – in fact I am kind of mad at Eric B. His foray into degrading Black television hits right at the heart of O’Connor’s point about the lack of awareness among hip hop artists – even the ones from the Old School.  But then I begin to wonder what has he been doing all this time? It’s been 22 years since their last album, Let the Rhythm Hit ‘Em dropped and there was that messy split from their record label. I do vaguely recall Eric B releasing a solo album after their breakup.  The album, which featured a softer side of Eric B, I’m pretty sure, flopped. And even after an extensive Google search of his current day happenings, I couldn’t find anything. Which leads me to believe that he is probably hard up for cash and willing to “sell out” a whole bunch just to get a it.

There’s just some folks you don’t talk ill about, and the men and women of the armed forces are in that group.

Soulja Boy is learning this lesson the hard way, as he’s attracted a lot of anger and spite for saying “F**k all the army troops” in a video of him posted on YouTube. The 21-year-old was performing a new track called “Let’s Be Real.” In the video, he goes on to question why troops are fighting, and says they should be their “own” man. Questions were floating around as to whether or not it was actually Soulja Boy on the video, but unless you’ve never seen him before, the guy rapping looks and sounds EXACTLY like Soulja Boy.

According to TMZ, retired Marine and current LA County Veteran’s Advisory Commissioner Fred A. Flores (who currently has children in the armed forces) called Soulja Boy “ungrateful,” and said an apology to the men and women fighting for him is definitely in order:

“It’s a very offensive statement… especially with the 10th anniversary of 9/11 coming up. He should apologize to ALL armed forces.”

To see the video, filled with a bunch of N-word dropping, the statement in question, and some questionable rapping skills altogether, click here.

Sooo…remember how you were surprised to learn that Soulja Boy had the green to cop that $55 million jet?

While he may have had the money he also had some other responsibilities he needed to take care of.

Shortly after purchasing the jet, official documents stated that the 21 year old has a nearly $27,000 lien against him.

As if that weren’t bad enough he owes the state of Mississippi money and last year his Georgia home was foreclosed.

Hmm…is it too late to return that jet?

Our good friends over at TMZ heard that rapper Soulja Boy just dropped a whopping $55 million on a private jet as a birthday gift to himself. Huh? First and foremost, how does Soulja Boy have $55 million? We all cranked that Soulja Boy at one time or another and his ringtone game is quite proper, but $55 million? Come on, son! Not quite sure we’re buying this one.

But according to TMZ’s source the $35 million dollar jet was tricked out with $20 million worth of goodies like Italian leather seats and travertine floors and other ballerific amenities.  Check out TMZ for more deets on the plane and his $300,000 birthday party.

(TheLoop21) — He’s not super famous and he may not be knocking Jay-Z off of his position on the Forbes list just yet, but Byron Wright is a success story. Five years deep into his dream career the 28-year-old, is swiftly climbing to the top of the music industry’s list of “who’s who.”  Wright is the Director of Writer/Publisher Relations at Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), one of the three Performing Rights Organizations that represent songwriters, music publishers and composers. “Byron has done an exceptional job of keeping his ears to the street and building relationships with uprising songwriters/producers,” brags his boss Catherine Brewton, who serves as Vice President of his division at BMI. The Atlanta native is responsible for signing many of today’s top hip-hop artists and producers to BMI including rappers Soulja Boy, Travis Porter and CyHi Da Prynce, as well as producers Bangladesh (Lil Wayne’s “6’7’”) and Kane Beatz (Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass”).

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We know, you’re refined. You’re well traveled, well-read you’ve even been known to speak a little French on occasion. And you like to present that image for your co-workers, your parents and random strangers to see. We know girl, your mom raised you right. But if truth be told, every once in a while you’ve almost broke your ankle rushing to the floor to dance to some foolishness that doesn’t even represent what you’re about…most of the time. It’s ok, you can admit it. There are support groups for your kind. (Actually, I’m sure there aren’t but it’s still ok.) Don’t deny the fact that a little foolishness (in moderation) is good for the soul. Really. So with that being said, check out these ig’nant songs you still find yourself dancing to.

*Author’s Note: I know you’ll be looking for Khia’s “My Neck, My Back” to be on this list, but I hate that song with the fire of a thousand suns; so you won’t find it here. While I do acknowledge it’s affect on some, this girl wants no part of it…proceed.

Celebs aren’t wasting any time this year. It’s only the first week of the New Year and they are already giving gossip fiends their fix, and more. Judging from week one, we will have plenty more SMH moments in 2011…

Here is the Rundown: