The three-day All Points West Festival appeared to take a hit when the Beastie Boys pulled out after Adam Yauch disclosed that he has parotid gland cancer. (Don’t freak out. It’s “very treatable.”) But all is not lost. In fact, some will be thrilled that Jay-Z is replacing the Beasties as the headliner on Friday, July 31.

As a coincidental bonus, MGMT is on the same bill and the two collaborated for the jigga man’s forthcoming album, Blueprint 3. Can we expect a sneak peek of their new song? We’re betting on it.

The festival runs from Friday, July 31 through Sunday, August 2 at New Jersey’s Liberty State Park. If you can’t attend, tune in this fall to Palladia to watch highlights from the festival — in high-def, no less.

Additional performers include the YeahYeahYeahs, Vampire Weekend, Tool, My Bloody Valentine, Gogol Bordello and the Arctic Monkeys. Get the full lineup after the jump.

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Everyone has their favorites when it comes to the competition for this year’s Grammys categories. During the next two weeks, we’ll list the artists that are up for an award, and you can watch videos and read news while you weigh in on who you think will take the prize.

This time it’s Rap Song of the Year. Hit the comments field to speak your mind. Is there any chance that Jay-Z could top Lil Wayne this time around? Click the artists’ names for videos, performances, photos, news, tour dates, lyrics, and lots more. The show airs on Sunday, February 8.

BEST RAP SONG

Lil Wayne - “Lollipop”

Flo Rida - “Low”

Snoop Dogg - “Sexual Eruption”

Jay-Z - “Swagga Like Us”

Lupe Fiasco - “Superstar”

Watch videos by this year’s Grammy nominees

Check our photo gallery of all the Grammy nominees and their categories

Jay-Z jumped to defend pal Kanye West after Amy Winehouse’s wacky performance at the Glastonberry Festival in London where she called the “Stronger” singer a c—t. Amy improvised the lyrics of her song “Some Unholy War” to say, “At least I’m not opening for a c–t like Kanye.” It’s moments like these that make live performances so fabulous!

Jay-Z told MTV,

“I don’t agree with it. [Kanye’s] my brother and the biggest artist on Roc-A-Fella right now. … I guess I should hook them up, because he’s a great guy, too. I don’t know what the problem is. I don’t know where that came from.”

Of course, never one to let others steal the spotlight, the Jiggaman participated in his own musical feud with Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher, by performing his own rendition of Oasis’ “Wonderwall” complete with a guitar strapped to his shoulder. Gallagher had criticized Jay as headliner of the traditionally rock-based festival, telling the BBC,

“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. I’m sorry, but Jay-Z? No chance. Glastonbury has a tradition of guitar music. I’m not having hip-hop at Glastonbury. It’s wrong.”

Jay told MTV Base of his on-stage response,

“I have a sense of humor like a Brit, so I thought people would appreciate that. Noel Gallagher was one of the biggest detractors, so I figured that was a cool way to start the show.”

Celebrities using the media to blast each other is so out; on-stage disses are the new way to play the celebrity feud game.

“I told them to go home and make babies.”

Yep, that’s the always wise Snoop Dogg, on his instructions for Beyonce and Jay-Z’s post-wedding life. The guy’s been married for-like-EVER (ten years, three kids!), so he should know. He also offered this tidbit of advice on how to make your nuptials last: “Communication, and being able to fight and get back up. To have misunderstanding and [then] get some understanding.”

For shizzle, dawg. [People]

Gasp! Beyonce “only drank water” at Kanye West’s concert after-party here in NYC last week. B normally likes to nurse a glass or two of champagne while out on the town, but this time she swore off the booze. Well obviously, this is a sure sign that she MUST be knocked up. Other things that Beyonce did that night that surely prove she’s preggers?

• touched her stomach
• wore a slightly baggy shirt
• held hands with her husband Jay-Z
• went to the bathroom
• ate dinner
• laughed
• applied lip gloss

OMG. It’s true. She MUST be pregnant - all signs point to yes! [NY Post]

Can’t Beyonce and Jay-Z just enjoy being married for a while? Not everyone has to go and pull an Ashlee Simpson and get preggers and married all at once. B’s belly is the topic of much speculation (even though as you can see in the pic above from last week, there’s nothing there), as some pals are secretly coming forward to reveal that she’s currently knocked up. One loose-lipped friend says, “She has gained a lot of pregnancy weight. When she gains weight, she normally does the Def Jam detox, but not now.”

Wait a second. Forget the pregnancy - what the f*ck is the “Def Jam detox?!” Google is revealing nothing - does it involve listening to old Beastie Boys and LL Cool J tracks while eating salad? Rick Rubin, fill us in! Beyonce’s rep was having none of the baby buzz, and said, “I don’t know if she’s pregnant. Let me perform an ultrasound and get back to you.”

We’re waiting!

Holy crap everyone! A blog, Hollyscoop, has “learned exclusively through multiple sources that Beyonce is expecting.” OMG!!! This completely anonymous source assures the world that B is in her early stages and that everyone at their wedding knew the good news, however she won’t reveal it for a while because ya know, they’re super private. Except, of course, when it comes to talking to this anonymous source, natch, who also alleged that they had a shotgun wedding due to the pregnancy.

Wow! Guess what? I have an exclusive anonymous source (my cat) who can reveal that Britney Spears is going to be the democratic nominee for President and that Paris Hilton has gotten rid of her Bentleys and plans to ride horses around Beverly Hills in order to stop pollution! Oh, they’ve also give me an exclusive pic of Beyonce and Jay-Z’s yet to be born baby decked out in Dereon (see above)! Anonymous sources are like super heroes, ya’ll. Totally amazing and 100% fake!

The controversy over Nas‘ forthcoming ablum, Nigger, is growing more intense with news that one of its songs subverts the old Dr. Pepper jingle by replacing the word “Pepper” with the N-word:

“I’m a nigger, he’s a nigger,
she’s a nigger, we’re a nigger
Wouldn’t you like to be a nigger too?”
- From Nas’ “Be A Nigger Too” (Listen here)

Before this latest shocker, a lot had been written about who is in support of Nas’ album title (Jay-Z, Common, Alicia Keys, Don Imus) and who isn’t (NAACP, Jesse Jackson, 50 Cent). 50 Cent, among others, says Nas is going for “shock value.” The fact that rappers have embraced the word and rendered it less hurtful and more banal through overuse for at least two decades may lend some credence to his claim. Maybe this is why Nas’ earlier statement seemed kind of weak:

“I wanna make the word easy on muthaf***ers’ ears. You see how white boys ain’t mad at ‘cracker’ ’cause it don’t have the same [sting] as ‘nigger’? I want ‘nigger’ to have less meaning [than] ‘cracker.’”

But Nas’ new song could pull more people into his corner and back up Jay-Z’s earlier statement: “I know he’s very intelligent and there’s a reason behind what he’s doing.” Pairing a once-omnipresent commercial song that is childlike in its simplicity with one of the most incendiary words in the English language raises so many questions that it could make heads explode. Could Nas be commenting on how big business packages and sells just about anything to kids — from soft drinks to gangsta rap? Could he be attempting to hit back at the very commercialization that has damaged hip-hop as an art form? Could he be doing all of the above and stirring up controversy to sell albums, too?

Nas’ intentions may not yet be totally clear, but we’re all waiting to hear more. — Matt Muro

[Photo: Getty Images]

Is the honeymoon already over for Jay-Z and Beyonce? Though the first couple of Hip-Hop haven’t even confirmed they’re married, there might be dark clouds on the horizon. At Jay’s show at the Hollywood Bowl the other night, the rapper had Beyonce’s ‘03 hit “Crazy in Love” turned off, just as fans were getting into it. “F*ck that. Sorry Bey but f*ck that - let’s play something else,” the rapper reportedly said to the crowd and his new wife, who up until that point had been standing stage side, cheering on her man.

After Jay stepped off-stage, his new bride laid into him, according to a source at the U.K.’s The Mirror. “She was gesturing wildly and not looking happy. Like any good husband would, Jay-Z groveled and tried to get out of it with compliments.” Sounds like Jay’s 99 problems just hit 100.

Just days after Beyonce and Jay-Z allegedly capped off their six-year romance with a wedding, people are already whispering that the couple wed so quickly because Beyonce is knocked up. The alleged proof: their whirlwind nuptials, and that her sis Solange had a shotgun wedding a while back. Wow, so it must be true! Let me shatter the dreams of gossipy people around the world - she’s probably not pregnant. Aside from the fact that sisters love to do the exact opposite of each other (er, aside from Jamie-Lynn Spears and BritBrit), Beyonce and Jay-Z likely got married quickly so that we, the media, wouldn’t ruin it. And even though we kinda did by gawking at the whole thing, neither Beyonce or Jay have actually confirmed that they wed, which means THEY WIN. So don’t go around spreading pregnancy rumors just because you’re pissed that we still don’t know what kind of dress B wore. Besides, no one will believe it until we can spot a vague, hardly there, probably imaginary mini-bump. When that happens, I’ll be the first one to whisper the P word.

They did it! They REALLY did it! Though neither star has confirmed their nuptials, every major press outlet is reporting that Beyonce and Jay-Z have officially become husband and wife. Even Mary J. Blige announced it at her concert on Saturday, so it’s gotta be true! The long-time couple tied the knot at Jay’s Tribeca penthouse after snagging a marriage license earlier in the week. The crowd was small, and guests - including Gwyneth Paltrow and B’s sister Solange - were asked to wear ivory. Thousands of Thai orchids were brought in for the event, and DJ Cassidy kept the attendees on the dance floor late into the night. Jay-Z had to perform over the weekend, and there’s no word of a honeymoon at this time. They’ll probably just end up on a yacht somewhere for a few weeks. You know how they do! Congrats to the happy couple - we hope they make it last. [People]