No New Year's Eve plan yet? Well, if you're in the San Francisco Bay area, rapper/activist/thespian Mos Def is hosting the Sneakers Required New Year's Eve Ball 2008 tonight featuring a performance by world-soul signer Goapele. The event, being held at the La Terra in San Francisco, CA, begins at 9 p.m. with ticket prices now going from $150 to $200. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers (H.E.A.R.) as will the extra pair of kicks party organizers suggest attendees bring. To purchase advance tickets, visit www.Going.com/TerraNYE08. 

Singer Brandy was indeed cleared of all wrongdoing Friday (Dec. 28) for involvement in a fatal freeway accident in December 2006. A representative for the Los Angeles city attorney's office said that there is "insufficient evidence" for a jury to find her guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Brandy faced a misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charge when traffic slowed on the Los Angeles freeway and her Land Rover hit the back of a Honda driven by Awatef Aboudihaj. Recent reports revealed that Aboudihaj's car first hit another. Aboudihaj died in the accident. A series of civil lawsuits filed in relation to the case are all pending.

Rap legend Chuck D has added his name to the mix of contenders for the now-vacant presidency of Def Jam Records. Since Jay-Z stepped down the industry has been abuzz with possible candidates like Jermaine Dupri, Game's manager Jimmy Rosemond and even Jay's former Roc-A-Fella partner, Damon Dash. Chuck D told AllHipHop.com, "After 10 years looking on the collapsing of the record industry, and upon hearing the news of Jay-Z stepping down from Def Jam, I would throw my name into the hat of somebody who understands how the hell Universal should establish the name-brands they acquire with stockholders money."

As frontman of Public Enemy, Chuck D recorded with Def Jam from 1987 to 1998 and now runs his own label, the tech-savvy Slam Jamz. He also told the website that Jay-Z didn't have adequate time to grow as CEO (he took the position Jan. 3, 2005) and referenced the ongoing speculation that Jay may end up at Sony BMG where Def Jam co-founder Rick Rubin is chairman of Columbia Records. "I think a person like Jay-Z needed a bit more time, but I could imagine his corporate limitations, and he's gonna be working alongside a true music cat R.R. [Rick Rubin] to do his thing."  Jay celebrated the grand opening of his Las Vegas, NV 40/40 nightclub with an assortment of stars ranging from girlfriend Beyonce to NBA star LeBron James to Rev. Al Sharpton.

The Harlem, NY rap collective Diplomats somehow made its way into a Sacramento, CA stocking for Christmas packaged as a Disney Channel Hits remix CD. The city's CBS News affiliate, CBS 13, reported that Jeremy Danielson, father of three girls - the oldest being five-years-old - purchased Disney Channel Hits Remixed from a local Toys-R-Us and when he played it Christmas morning, much to his surprise, he and his family were greeted by the voices of the Diplomats. The Disney CD includes songs from characters of Disney shows such as "Hannah Montana," "The Cheetah Girls" and the movie "High School Musical." "It was definitely not Hannah Montana," Danielson said. "It was graphic lyrics, it was like gangster rap. We're a Christian family. We don't bring that type of media into our house." A similar incident occurred in Port Orange, FL when a local grandmother gave the CD to her six-year-old granddaughter. That local Toys-R-Us has pulled the CD from its shelves. No comment has been made by Disney.

Young B of "Chicken Noodle Soup" fame joined fellow teenaged rapper Priscilla "P-Star" Diaz in her hour-long exercise video "P-Star Work Out: Exercise Your Body & Mind." According to the New York Daily News, the 13-year-old P-Star said that although she knew young people were eating a lot of junk food, she was shocked to find out that obesity was a national problem. "It's important to be healthy," she said. "It's the holiday season and it's cold outside, but kids still need to exercise. Everyone should take a few minutes to move around and not just sit down watching TV or playing video games." Her songs and video were produced by HUNC (Harlem Up-N-Coming) Records which is making the DVD available worldwide through their website www.HUNCRecords.com.