It would take the most naive of hip hop listeners to believe every word that comes out of a rapper's mouth. Exaggeration is one of the elements of their craft. But it's always amusing to see an rapper's past directly contradict some part of a his lyrical persona. Take Dr. Dre, for instance. You might not have known that before he adopted an austere wardrobe and a permanent scowl for N.W.A., he was a member of the glittery World Class Wreckin' Cru. After the jump, check out a few rappers who know what happens when an icky thing called "reality" encroaches upon their music personas.

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Rick Ross, the rotund Miami rapper who makes frequent, proud references to his cocaine-trafficking past, cried Photoshop when pictures of him dressed as a correctional officer appeared on the web last week. His denial was swift and strongly worded because, of course, no self-respecting drug kingpin has "prison guard" on his resume. Luckily for Ross, there was no real proof that he was lying of that the pictures weren't fakes. That's until The Smoking Gun, which loves to out lying rappers/"singers," stepped in. Using Ross's social security number, they found records of him working as a Florida prison guard from December 1995 to June 1997. After the photos leaked, Ross said that some hater put "my face when I was a teenager in high school on other peoples' body. If this shit was real don't you think they would have more specifics, like dates and everything? Fake pictures are created by the fake, meant to entertain the fake." Do real pictures entertain the real? [TSG]

• The past is coming back to haunt Jennifer Lopez and Diddy — it's been haunting Shyne for a while now. [SR]

• Keep Lil Wayne away from the homonyms! [BX]

• Wesley Snipes is trying to make a little money before his appeal fails and he has to go to jail. [EUR]

• Russell Simmons explains, in great detail, the custody arrangement between him and Kimora. He's happy with it. [PH]

• Rick Ross and Foxy Brown aren't getting married because, he says, he's "married to the money." Oh, sweet romance! [MTV]

• Amy Winehouse doesn't actually have emphysema, she just has scarring in her lungs that could lead to emphysema. That's why it was okay for her to smoke a cigarette upon exiting the hospital. [MG]

• Diamonds are for never? [Jezebel]

• Jill Scott's engaged! To a drummer named Lil John Roberts! Thank goodness its not a different Lil Jon. [BV]

• Does this look and sound like a straight-to-DVD production or what? [NB]

• Rick Ross and Foxy Brown plan to reveal their engagement at the BET Awards. Made for each other, those two are. [NR]

It's fitting to post this song, which is ultimately about settling ("sleeps around but he gives me a lot?" Aim higher next time!), on the same morning I find out that Foxy Brown and rotund rapper Rick Ross are in a very serious romance. But which one is actually settling in this equation?

The struggles of an aging rap superstar: Snoop Dogg's Ego Trippin' debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 this week, behind Rick Ross, who's Trilla took the No. 1 spot, and the eight millionth NOW album. Fat Joe's aptly-named Elephant in the Room was No. 6. Rick Ross actually sold 198,000 copies, which is more than Snoop, with 137,000, and Fat Joe, with 46,000, sold combined. Florida's vote has officially been counted. Check out the top 10 after the jump.

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• The top 25 most important films on race. Watch 'em and weep. [Time]

• This video is like the story of my high school life. [Racialicious]

• In the Dumb Purchases Dept… [MCH]

• Anybody interested in the current relationship status of Jeezy and Keyshia Cole? [SR]

• Amy Winehouse terrifies Snoop, along with the rest of us. [2Snap]

• Rappers are so enterprising. Rick Ross is set to open a chain of hip hop "Grub Spots." [AHH]

• I don't care what supporters say, Guiliani doesn't care about black people. Kanye West should speak at his inauguration if he wins. [MH]

• Awww, Duke. That's so sweet. [WRAL]

• Whites and blacks in DC straddle two totally different ends of the obesity spectrum. [WP]