Comedian Bernie Mac has died at the age of 50 after an extended bout with pneumonia, according to sources with AllHipHop.com. Mac was in Northwestern Memorial hospital when he died on Saturday morning. No official cause of death has been announced by his family. After rumors of his death, his condition seemed to improve. Mac’s publicist stated that he was “responding well to treatment” and that he expected to leave the Chicago-area facility in a few weeks. He passed away at approximately 5:45 am on Saturday, according to sources. Bernie Mac, who started doing standup in clubs around Chicago in the 1970’s, was discovered after he won a Miller Lite comedy search, which led to regular appearances on Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam in 1992. “He was one of the sweetest funniest people on the planet,” Def Comedy Jam Founder Russell Simmons told AllHipHop.com. "We (Def Comedy team) knew he was a star the minute we saw him. He was loved by millions. He will be missed

ROLLING STONES, LIL WAYNE: A "Fire" Lawsuit(Posted 3:00 AM, 7/25/200Comedian Bernie Mac has died at the age of 50 after an extended bout with pneumonia, according to sources with AllHipHop.com. Mac was in Northwestern Memorial hospital when he died on Saturday morning. No official cause of death has been announced by his family. After rumors of his death, his condition seemed to improve. Mac’s publicist stated that he was “responding well to treatment” and that he expected to leave the Chicago-area facility in a few weeks. He passed away at approximately 5:45 am on Saturday, according to sources. Bernie Mac, who started doing standup in clubs around Chicago in the 1970’s, was discovered after he won a Miller Lite comedy search, which led to regular appearances on Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam in 1992. “He was one of the sweetest funniest people on the planet,” Def Comedy Jam Founder Russell Simmons told AllHipHop.com. "We (Def Comedy team) knew he was a star the minute we saw him. He was loved by millions. He will be missed8)

The publishing company that owns the rights to The Rolling Stones' song "Play With Fire" has sued rapper Lil Wayne, saying he released an altered version of the song without permission. Abkco Music accused Lil Wayne, his co-writers and record label of copyright infringement and unfair competition in the suit, which seeks unspecified damages. The suit claims that Lil Wayne's "Playing With Fire" is clearly derivative of the Stones track. For example, the Stones song has the lyric "But don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire," while Lil Wayne's song has the line "But you can't blame me if I set this stage on fire." --Steve Reynolds

DMX: Legal Woes(Posted 3:00 AM, 7/25/2008)

D-M-X's legal issues continue to pile up. The rapper (born Earl Simmons) pleaded not guilty yesterday in an Arizona courtroom to felonious charges of theft and taking the identity of another. He's accused of giving false information to a hospital to skip out on a bill. X has now been indicted on three separate cases. He is scheduled for three court appearances in Arizona next month -- August 12th for a pre-trial conference for an arrest on marijuana charges, on August 19th before the judge for a status report for his May arrest on 11 drug possession and animal cruelty charges, and on August 26th for a pre-trial hearing on the identity theft charge. X is out on approximately 70-thousand dollars bond. His newly appointed attorney, Charles Kozelka, tells us, "We're early on in the process. I know Mr. Simmons is excited to get this past him, but it could be a longer process. We are confident that he is going to be cleared of these charges once it's all said and done. There's another half of the story to come out... We're only getting one side from the prosecutors and the sheriffs that have been out front and center."

D-M-X also has two cases pending in Miami for attempting to purchase cocaine and marijuana from an undercover police officer, and for driving without a valid driver's license. -- Elle Castro

CHRIS BROWN: He'll Be the Judge of That(Posted 3:00 AM, 7/25/2008)

Chris Brown is teaming up with Survivor producer Mark Burnett to create a dance competition series with an emphasis on hip-hop. Brown, who'll be the chief judge on the still-untitled show, tells Variety, "Dancing is more than just a way of moving, it's a different expression of music. That's what I want to focus on with this show." --David Sprague

ROMEO: Rejects Film for College(Posted 3:00 AM, 7/25/2008)

Master P's son Romeo has reportedly turned down a role in an upcoming film titled Sweetwater, a bio-pic about the first African-American basketball player signed to the N-B-A, so he can remain eligible to play college basketball. Because he would have been making money from his sport, the N-C-A-A would have ruled him ineligible. Master P says, "Romeo has agreed to abide by all N-C-A-A regulations... But I think a lot of their rules will need to be updated to take into account a person of his magnitude and his past accomplishments. I couldn't be more proud of my son's decision to choose education and athletics over money." Romeo will be a freshman this fall at the University of Southern California. -- Elle Castro

DIDDY, CASSIE: Engaged?(Posted 3:00 AM, 7/25/2008)

Sean "Diddy" Combs may be giving up the bachelor's life. According to Star magazine, he's headed to the altar with Bad Boy singer Cassie. A source says, "He told everyone to keep it extremely quiet because he didn't want it to get out, but you could tell he was excited. Diddy said they hadn't set a date yet, but he wanted his family to hear the news first." Combs allegedly announced the engagement while at his son Justin's eighth-grade graduation on June 5th. Diddy and longtime gal pal and mother of three children Kim Porter supposedly called it quits for good last July. Diddy's reps did not return our calls for comment. -- Elle Castro

GUCCI MANE: Out on Bail(Posted 3:00 AM, 7/25/2008)

Gucci Mane was arrested early Wednesday morning outside Atlanta after a routine traffic stop turned up a small amount of marijuana. Cops also found him to be driving under the influence. He's also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Gucci was released later in the morning after posting 34-hundred dollars bail. --Andrew Richter

T.I.: Pushing Voter Registration Cause on Youth(Posted 3:00 AM, 7/25/2008)

T-I is teaming up with the Hip-Hop Caucus for Get out the Vote, a voter registration initiative targeted at people ages 18 to 29. The campaign kicks off on Monday with a press conference in Washington, D-C, where the campaign slogan and T-shirts will be unveiled. -- Elle Castro

JOHN LEGEND: "Good Morning" to You(Posted 3:00 AM, 7/25/2008)

John Legend hasn't announced a second single from his as-yet-untitled upcoming disc, due in September, but the track "Good Morning" is already generating a buzz. Legend, who's been performing the song in concert, tells us, "It'll be on the new record. It's just about when you wake up next to somebody you love and you wanna try one more again before y'all go to work. You know what I'm talking about." The lead single from Legend's new disc is "Green Light" featuring Andre 3000. -- Jamila Daniel

MICHELLE WILLIAMS: In Depth on Second Single (audio)(Posted 3:00 AM, 7/25/2008)

Fans will have to wait a little longer for Michelle Williams' solo album Unexpected, which will now be released on October 7th. She tells us, "Columbia Records wants more time to promote it right, and so I had no choice but to give them that time for more performances, more visibility for the album to be a success. The album is done, [but] there is a chance that I will add to it. The fans are disappointed [and] I'm disappointed-- but it's for the best." The second single due off the album is the Jim Jonsin-helmed track "The Greatest." The former Destiny's Child singer celebrated her 28th birthday on Wednesday with family in Chicago. -- Elle Castro

TIMBALAND, BEYONCE: Backing Barack(Posted 3:00 AM, 7/25/2008)

Beyonce, Timbaland, Jennifer Lopez and The Neptunes are among the artists who took part in a music video showing support for Barack Obama. The clip, which is set to "American Prayer," a song co-written by rockers Bono and Dave Stewart, will begin airing on the Internet within the next 10 days. Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg also make appearances in the video, which features clips from Dr. Martin Luther King Junior's final speech, given the night before his assassination. -- David Sprague

BUSTA RHYMES: Rockin' Out on the Road(Posted 3:00 AM, 7/25/2008)

Busta Rhymes is beyond elated to be on the road with rockers Linkin Park, The Bravery and Chris Cornell on the Projekt Revolution tour. Rhymes tells North Carolina's Fayetteville Observer, "I'm like a kid in a candy store... Performing with these guys is the best thing in the world for me. I'm fans of all those guys.... 've been a fan of Chris Cornell since he was in Soundgarden. And you know? Me and Linkin Park used to record in the same studio before they put out their first record."

The trek arrives in Raleigh, North Carolina tonight. -- Elle Castro

DMC: On the Road to Recovery(Posted 3:00 AM, 7/25/2008)

Darryl "D-M-C" McDaniels is on the road to recovery after undergoing emergency surgery on his left arm nearly a week ago to remove of a couple of severe blood clots. A rep for the M-C tells us, "D-M-C has been released from the hospital after doctors successfully removed two major blood clots from his left arm caused by thoracic outlet syndrome. He is working closely with his doctors, going through physical therapy, and is expected to make a full recovery. He's anxious to get back into the studio to complete work on his new album and to finish filming a new documentary on the American foster care system. Both are set for 2009 release." -- Elle Castro

ROUNDUP(Posted 3:00 AM, 7/25/2008)

Luther Campbell tied the knot with longtime girlfriend Kristin Thompson in Dallas last Saturday. Doug E. Fresh was the D-J at the reception.

Gucci Mane was arrested early yesterday (Thursday) morning following a routine traffic stop. The Atlanta rapper was charged with driving under the influence, possession of drugs and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The Roots, D-J Jazzy Jeff, Jermaine Dupri and Beanie Sigel will perform at the first Philly Summer Jam tomorrow (Saturday) at Philadelphia's National Constitution Center.

T-Pain's official lead single off Three Rings is "Can't Believe It," featuring Lil Wayne. The song is scheduled to hit the airwaves on Monday and Tuesday.

Beyonce and Alicia Keys have signed on to headline separate shows at this year's Bermuda Music Festival, which runs from October 1st through the 4th on the Caribbean island.