Word on the Street

-A screenplay written by rapper Tupac Shakur during a 1995 prison stint is to hit cinemas in 2010. Shakur penned "Live 2 Tell," as a starring vehicle for himself, according to Vibe magazine, but he never lived to see out his dream.

The film, which chronicles an ex-drug dealer's battle to beat his problems, was discovered by the late rapper's mother, Afeni Shakur, and sold to Insomnia Productions. Producers will start casting the film in April 2009




-Rap legends N.W.A. are to be immortalized on the big screen, a major biopic is in the works.

N.W.A, the Compton supergroup, comprised of Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Eazy-E, MC Ren and DJ Yella, shot to fame in the late 1980s after signing to Death Row Records, and drew attention with controversial hits like Straight Outta Compton, F**k tha Police and Gangsta Gangsta.

Ice Cube quit the band in 1989 after a dispute over royalties, and the remaining N.W.A. members parted ways in 1991.

The rappers each went on to achieve solo success, with Ice Cube and Dr. Dre garnering critical acclaim for their own projects, while Eazy-E enjoyed some popularity with his numerous discs before dying from AIDS in 1995.

Now their West Coast legacy is heading to cinemas, a project tentatively titled "Straight Outta Compton," is being developed with Dre, Ice Cube and Eazy-E's widow all on board as producers, according to Entertainment Weekly.

They are reportedly seeking a director to helm the project in a style similar to Curtis Hanson's take on Eminem's 2002 movie, "8 Mile."

-Chris Rock is assembling an all-star comedy cast for his forthcoming movie "Death At A Funeral." Both Martin Lawrence and Tracy Morgan have signed on to the project.

-Rapper Nas made a terminally ill child's dreams come true this weekend when he flew the fan out to Los Angeles to attend his concert and meet the star backstage.

(source: panachereport)