Jay-Z, Diddy, Kanye West are Forbes' cash kings (Reuters)

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) – Jay-Z and Kanye West consider themselves the kings of the rap game. Not only have they said as much with the title of their newly released album -- "Watch the Throne" -- but they take every opportunity to brag about their private jets, their cars and anything else with a big price tag.

Whatever you think of their music -- but really, what's not to like? -- it turns out they are justified. Forbes has released its list of the past year's top earners among hip-hop artists -- never mind that Jay-Z is definitively a rapper -- and Jay and Kanye come in at first and third respectively.

Sandwiched in between? Sean "Diddy" Combs.

Jay-Z laps everyone but Diddy, raking in $37 million to Diddy's $35 million. West accrued a paltry-in-comparison $16 million.

While the collaboration between Jay-Z and West has been and will continue to be lucrative, it has also strained an already tense relationship.

So don't get your hopes up for a collaboration between all three.

As for the rest of the list, Lil Wayne, Birdman, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Akon and Ludacris round out the top 10.

Yahoo! News

Read more

Kings of Leon cancel U.S. tour, Followill exhausted (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Rockers Kings of Leon canceled their entire U.S. tour on Monday, citing health concerns for frontman Caleb Followill after he abruptly walked off the stage at a show in Dallas saying he couldn't sing.

Followill, the lead singer of the Grammy Award-winning band behind hit tune "Use Somebody", is "suffering from vocal issues and exhaustion," a band spokesman said in a statement.

"The band is devastated, but in order to give their fans the shows they deserve, they need to take this break," the spokesman said.

At Friday night's show in Dallas, Followill initially told the crowd that despite feeling "100 percent gone" he was going to go backstage vomit, drink a beer and then "come back out and play three more songs."

After Followill did not return, fellow band members had to tell a booing crowd that the show was in fact over.

One night later, the band's troubles in the Lone Star state continued when it was forced to cancel its Saturday night show in Houston.

While it is unclear exactly what ails Followill, his brother and Kings of Leon bassist, Jared Followill, tweeted on Monday that "There are internal sicknesses and problems that have needed to be addressed ... I can't lie," and "There are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade."

There will be no rescheduling of any US shows as the band's international tour dates conflict. All tickets purchased will reportedly be refunded.

For now the band plans to resume their tour by performing at Rogers Center in Vancouver, British Columbia on September 28. The original show was originally scheduled for September 14.

Hailing originally from Tennessee, Kings of Leon is a platinum-selling group with five albums released including their latest effort "Come Around Sundown" which hit stores in 2010.

(Reporting by R.T. Watson; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Yahoo! News

Read more

Kings of Leon vow to redo 'too hot' Dallas show (AP)

NEW YORK – The Kings of Leon are promising a redo for their Dallas fans after canceling a show because their lead singer complained it was too hot to perform, leading other members to profusely apologize to the audience.

In a statement, the family rock band, known for hits including the Grammy Award-winning anthem "Use Somebody," announced plans to return to Dallas on Sept. 21 to make up for Friday's mid-show cancellation, which drummer Nathan Followill called a "fiasco" on Twitter.

"The Kings of Leon apologize to their fans for the inconvenience this may have caused and look forward to seeing their fans again in September," read a statement sent by their publicist on Sunday.

On Friday, lead singer Caleb Followill repeatedly complained that it was too hot and that his voice was suffering because of it.

"My voice is completely 100 percent gone," he said.

After a few more songs, he announced to the audience: "I'm gonna go back stage for a second, I'm gonna vomit, I'm gonna drink a beer and I'm gonna come back out and play three more songs."

He never did come back out, leaving the rest of the band to announce the abrupt end of the show to a booing audience. The other members, including guitarist Matthew Followill and bassist Jared Followill, were apologetic and later took to Twitter to let out their frustrations.

"Not so good morning 4 me today," Nathan Followill tweeted. "Ashamed & embarrassed by last night's fiasco. Can't apologize enough, utterly gutted. A million I'm sorrys."

Jared Followill tweeted: "Dallas, I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am. There are internal sicknesses & problems that have needed to be addressed. No words."

He added: "I love our fans so much. I know you guys aren't stupid. There are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade."

However, the statement released by the band did not address other troubles, and it said Caleb "suffered from heat exhaustion and dehydration ... causing his vocal chords to seize."

The Nashville-based band also canceled Saturday's show in Houston. That show was rescheduled for Sept. 22.

___

Online:

http://www.kingsofleon.com

___

Nekesa Mumbi Moody is the AP's music writer. Follow her at http://www.twitter.com/nekesamumbi

Yahoo! News

Read more