Chi-town emcee Common continues to beef up his resume with a bevy of upcoming film roles. The rapper is set to star in the next installment of the Terminator films.

Common will join Christian Bale ('Batman Begins') and Sam Worthington in the science-fiction flick, 'Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins.' Common will play a freedom fighter, who helps Bale fight the "battle against the machines." 'Terminator Salvation' is set to hit theaters May 2009.

The rap star can be seen onscreen this summer in the action-adventure movie, 'Wanted,' starring Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman and James McAvoy. 'Wanted' hits theaters June 27. Common will also release his eighth studio album, 'Invincible Summer,' in July.

After proving that people will buy his albums (the good and the bad), clothes and almost any other product he peddles [see: quarter water VitaminWater], 50 Cent is close to signing a deal with Steiner Sports to sell a line of memorabilia. The items would include autographed photos, movie-related products and apparel worn by the rap star during concert.

"He's an authentic guy who gets the business portion of his career," the director of talent procurement at Steiner, Robert Vazquez said in a recent interview. Terms of the pending deal have not been disclosed, but an announcement could be made at some point today.

Lil Wayne will hit the big screen in a film that should be pretty close to his heart. The rapper will join Isaiah Washington ('Grey's Anatomy'), Taraji P. Henson ('Hustle & Flow,' 'Smokin' Aces' ) and Bow Wow in the sports drama, 'Patriots,' set in Wayne's hometown of New Orleans.

Based on a true story, 'Patriots,' will tell the story of high school basketball coach Al Collins, who takes his team of displaced students from various city schools to a state championship.

Wayne's much delayed album, 'Tha Carter III,' is due in stores June 10.

The Wu-Tang Clan's RZA is teaming up with politically-driven System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian, Wu-Tang affiliate Kinetic 9, formerly known as Beretta 9 and Reverend William Burke to form the group Achozen.

"Shavo is my neighbor and we used to hang out in the studio. We realized it was unique that even though we had different backgrounds, we had so much in common with our family, our commitment, our thoughts and the suffering of our people," RZA explains in a recent interview. "So, we teamed up years ago and have been working on the project for two years. It's unlike anything else I've ever done."

The group just wrapped their first collaborative effort, which features guest appearances by the GZA, George Clinton, Red Hot Chili Peppers' John Frusciante and Killah Priest. The foursome's self-titled debut album will hit stores this summer.

"It's really just an extension of being creative. It's part of the whole culture." Jay-Z tells Tavis Smiley on his eponymous PBS talk show. "I was just able to put that into a business plan." The hip-hop mogul goes on to explain how his Rocawear clothing brand was developed. "We got three sewing machines and we thought we were going to sew t-shirts," the impresario explained.

Check out the story after the jump.

The Wu-Tang Clan's RZA has partnered with ChessPark, an online chess social network, and the Hip Hop Chess Federation to launch a social network for hip hop chess heads.

The website, WuChess.com, will allow players to interact via instant messages and live chat, as well as battle each one another in a Shaolin Style ancient war game. Read the full story.

Retired Rapper 50 Cent's versatile acting career continues, as Curtis prepares to appear in two upcoming murder-related feature films.

The first, Robert Deniro and Al Pacino's new vehicle 'Righteous Kill,' is directed by Jon Avnet (vaguely known for directing 'Fried Green Tomatoes' and producing gangster classics 'Poodle Springs' and 'The Mighty Ducks' trilogy). Though the title sounds like a Jean-Claude Van Damme masterpiece (i.e. 'Hard Target'), Fif's role appears to be about as long as Van Damme's part in 'Breakin',' if the trailer is any indication.

'Righteous Kill' hits theaters in September 2008, so practice your "G-G-G-G-Unit" ad libs for the quiet moments, if the group has any other remaining members by then.

Next, 50 is set to star as a death row inmate in 'Spectacular Regret,' which also features Danny Huston, John Ortiz and Kelli Garner and is helmed by Joshua Leonard, who starred in the 'Blair Witch Project,' in his feature directorial debut.

Other titles for the film may have included 'Astounding Disappointment,' 'Tremendous Mishap,' and 'Astonishing Failure,' but 'Spectacular Regret' apparently summed it up best.

Super-producer Jermaine Dupri is teaming with Island Def Jam Music Group and Proctor & Gamble to launch TAG Records. Dupri will take on the role of president while determining the "creative vision" of the new venture.

"Today, we make history in the music industry with TAG Records," Dupri said in a statement. "This label is going to provide new artists with a chance of a lifetime. New artists will receive ten times the typical marketing support -- a first in the industry. I'm hand selecting and molding these artists to make history in hip hop."

The TAG brand is most commonly known for its deodorant body sprays marketed towards young men. The record label's first artist will be officially announced in May.

At this point, it should be pretty clear that Jay-Z is one of hip-hop's most talented artists, but his recent business dealings prove that the emcee-turned-entrepreneur understands this music industry better than most. In a time when records sales are on a constant decline while concert ticket prices continually increase, Jay-Z, who's known for selling out the world's largest arenas, is preparing to ink a deal with live events giant, Live Nation, according to the New York Times.

The rapper, who's spent the bulk of his career as an artist -- and eventually president -- at Def Jam Records, is abandoning his contract with the label for a $150 million package with Live Nation that includes financing for his own entertainment venture, in addition to recordings and tours for up to 10 years. The package will also include a five year, $25 million deal for the mogul's own Roc Nation imprint.

Rick Ross, David Banner and Slim Thug are set to appear in the upcoming drama 'Days of Wrath,' alongside Academy-award nominated actor Laurence Fishburne, Taye Diggs, Wilmer Valderrama (That '70s Show) and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (P.S. I Love You).

The urban thriller tells the story of two Los Angeles gangs, a callous television producer and the innocent bystanders involved in this tangled tale of gang violence.

Laurence Fishburne plays a teacher/mentor who acts as the voice of reason for the young, warring gang members. Valderrama shows some range and takes on the role of the ruthless thug, who sets off the string of violence events. Ross, Banner and Slim appear as members of one of the rival gangs.

In a continued effort to prove his ability to cross all musical genres [see: family-oriented reality show and upcoming animated series on Comedy Central], Snoop Dogg will hit the road with '90s alt-rockers 311 on the sixth annual Unity tour, beginning June 24 in Phoenix, wrapping up on August 3 in Austin, Texas.

In the meantime, the Doggfather will take over the fictional city of Llanview, Pennsylvania when he joins the cast of ABC's longstanding soap opera, 'One Life To Live.' The 36-year-old rapper will appear as himself in the daytime series, which will feature performances as well as a few scenes where the rapper shows off his acting skills. Snoop has also recorded a remix of the daytime drama's theme song. The episodes are set to air on May 8 and 9.

It ain't easy being green ... but rapper/actor Ludacris has signed on to star in the Discovery Network's upcoming reality series to show the country how important it is to take care of the environment.

Ludacris will star alongside former Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee in the reality program dubbed 'Battleground Earth,' which is set to air in late July or early August, according to Variety.

In the meantime, the rapper is working on several projects, including a film titled 'Max Payne' with actor Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis and Beau Bridges. Luda will also flex his acting muscles in the upcoming basketball drama 'Ball Don't Lie,' starring Nick Cannon and Rosanna Arquette.

50 Cent continues to build his empire with the release of his second video game dubbed 'Blood in the Sand,' due in stores this fall. The sequel to 50's successful 'Bulletproof' game will feature members of the rapper's G-Unit crew: Tony Yayo, Lloyd Banks and DJ Whoo Kid.

"We are taking this sequel to the next level with exciting combat and gunplay, new original music, great graphics and a new story," the rap star said in a statement. "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand will have everything my fans are looking for in a 50 Cent game."

The game will be available on Playstation 3 and XBox 360 platforms, and mobile phones in North America and Europe.

"Of all the people I've worked with, Snoop was probably the most disappointing," Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight says in the trailer for his upcoming reality series, 'Unfinished Business.' The show follows the feared mogul and his brave employees as they attempt to find talent for his new imprint, Blackball Records.

Atlanta-based rapper/actor Ludacris has partnered with MegaMobile TV to form WeMix.com, an online music community and user-generated record label for unsigned artists. The site, which is scheduled to launch in April, will allow users to design unique profiles, upload their own music and collaborate with artists around the globe.

"There's so much talent that never sees the light of day because of the traditional way we discover artists; I felt it was time to take music back where it belongs -- in the streets and with the people," Ludacris said in a statement.

"It doesn't matter what type of music you're into, at WeMix.com it's an open playing field. We want to hear everything that's out there and let the people guide us in deciding which new artists get their shot to collaborate with stars and record a song. Even if you can't sing or play an instrument, WeMix.com gives you the chance to make music and influence decisions through voting and reviews. It truly is the people's record company."

WeMix.com will also offer users the opportunity to become eligible to collaborate directly with Ludacris and other top acts.