Rappers who are millionaires undoubtedly got to that level of financial success in part by making songs and living a lifestyle that calls attention to the fact that they're millionaires at every possible opportunity and in very possible way. As a result, it should come as no surprise that any of the rappers (and producers, and one singer) who made Forbes' biggest earners in hip hop list made it into the top 20. What might be a surprise is how many millions they actually made in the last 12 months. For instances, Chamillionaire more than lived up to his name.

Of course, the number one earner was 50 Cent, thanks to his Vitamin water windfall. Check out the list after the jump.

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A content analysis of BET's programming called "The Rap on Rap" that concluded that viewers of the channel's popular shows are exposed to violence, profanity or obscenity once every 38 seconds has reportedly inspired Proctor and Gamble, Pepsi and General Motors to pull advertising from Rap City and 106 & Park.

According to CNN, BET CEO Debra Lee initially dismissed the study, conducted by the virulently anti-BET group Enough is Enough. Others obviously paid much closer attention. [HHDX]

Al Sharpton is usually the responding to existing controversy or drumming it up himself, but he has had his fair share of personal controversies during his storied career as a civil rights activist and "personality." Most recently, he's under fire for allegedly pocketing big donations from corporations in exchange for giving out stamps of approval for diversity. Sharpton calls it a "fishing expedition," but it's enough to pique the feds' interest. Coincidentally, the one thread that holds all of Sharpton's career black eyes together isn't race or civil rights. It's money.

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Wherein you, the readers, talk amongst yourselves.

It boggles the mind, but the networking site LinkedIn is valued at $1 billion. Really? I joined because everyone else seemed to have joined, but I'm not entirely sure what to do with the account now that I have it. Some people seem to love it though, which begs a question that we scratched the surface of a few days ago: Facebook, Myspace, or Linkedin. Or none? Or all? You tell me.

• Damon Dash and Rachel Roy just signed a $4 billion licensing deal for Roy's clothing line. This should put to end those Dame-Dash-is-bankrupt rumors. [NR]

• This is sort of preaching to the choir, but still. The war sucks. [JJP]

• Want to learn about the black family? CNN'll school ya. [CL]

• More on R. Kelly's pervy past. [SOHH]

• True, Chris Brown is younger than Rihanna. But she doesn't like them this young. [SR]

Wherein you, the readers, talk amongst yourselves

It's not so much of a concern for the car-less masses here in NYC, but what have you guys been doing to avoid blowing your entire paycheck at the gas station?

Jay-Z might make more money than his new wife, but, according to Forbes, Beyonce is far more powerful a celebrity. Sorry, Jay. Angelina Jolie also bested her significant other in the magazine's new 100 most powerful celebrities list. Click through to see who made it to the top 10. A million imaginary dollars to the person who can guess No. 1 and No. 2. Hint: really, really, really, really, really rich black people.

At No. 11, Will Smith might not have made the top group, but we still love him.

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Surprise, minorities: Hollywood doesn't like casting us as leads in films, even if that means completely shifting around facts to accommodate white actors.

Although director Spike Lee just dressed down the wizened Clint Eastwood for not including black extras in his WWII dramas, a new ABC News article takes issue with the way Hollywood consistently uses whites to fill major roles written for blacks, Hispanics and Asians. To wit:

In the new movie "Stuck," which opened last week, actress Mena Suvari plays a young woman named Brandi, who, after a night of partying, strikes a homeless man with her car, sending him through her windshield, and leaves him to die.

The plot is based on the real-life story of Texas woman Chante Mallard…

Mallard is African-American. Suvari, the blonde, blue-eyed beauty from "American Beauty" and the "American Pie" movies, is not. But she does wear cornrows to play the role of Brandi.

Also recently manipulated to remove minorities was 21, the story of an MIT "whiz kid" who went to Vegas and made a killing counting cards. In reality, the student is Asian American, but a white Englishman was cast to play him.

To get an explanation about why minority actors and actresses are being neglected in favor of whites, do what you do every time you have a question about this really demented world: follow the money:

CONTINUED »

Prior to Hillary Clinton leaving the race, there was a lot of talk from her camp that she was in a better position to beat John McCain than Barack Obama, based on the polls. Obama's camp said that after HRC dropped from the race, Democrats would (mostly) come together, giving Obama a bump in the polls that would put him ahead of McCain. Despite my slight worry and skepticism, Obama has indeed received the bump that pundits and Obama reps promised. In Gallup and Rasmussen polls taken after Hillary's concession and endorsement of her opponent, Obama is ahead of McCain by six points. Surely the number will rise and fall over the course of the election, but for now, Obama's support is growing. Among women, he's got a leg up on McCain, and he's polling better with women than John Kerry did in 2004.

Speaking of bumps, people in the know are estimating that Obama will receive a "presumptive nominee" bump in the fundraising arena as well. Some have predicted that he could raise $100 million in June. And he might need to hand some of that over to HRC, who faces the largest campaign debt in history.

• Oh, if only this new song from Nas called "Black President" didn't make its appearance on something called The Nigger Tape. [NR]

• Looks like the Evander Holyfield Real Deal Grill wasn't the cash cow the boxer was hoping for. Maybe next time find a niche that hasn't been filled by another boxer? Oh, and handle your millions a whole lot better. [Bossip]

• Get with the times, Russian billionaires. [PS]

• A New Jersey congressman and former HRC supporter says that a top member of Clinton's staff called him to discuss "a strategy of winning over Jewish voters by exploiting tensions between Jews and African-Americans." [JJP]

• Bobby Brown's son says Whitney Houston was an evil stepmother who wouldn't even let him sleep in the main house. [HHC]

The Sports Illustrated list of the 50 highest-earning athletes in the United States are golfers (you know Tiger Woods is No. 1 with $128 mill earned last year), basketball players, baseball players, NASCAR drivers, football players, and one boxer. It should come as no surprise that there isn't a single female on the list.

After Tiger Woods, the top ten is rounded out by golfer Phil Mickelson at No. 2 ($62.3 mill), LeBron James at No. 3 ($40.5 mill), Floyd Mayweather at No. 4 ($40.2 million), Kobe Bryant at No. 5 ($35.5 mill), Shaq at No. 6 ($35 mill), A-Rod at No. 7 ($35 mill), Kevin Garnett at No. 8 ($31 mill), Peyton Manning at No. 9 ($30.5 mill), and Derek Jeter at No. 10 ($30 mill).

Teachers, hide this list from kids who you're trying to convince to choose academics over sports.