Rapper turned reality TV star Rev. Run has inked a deal with a U.K.-based indie label previously known just for digital content. For the past few years, Craze Productions has focused on web and mobile downloads of their digital hip-hop catalogue.  But with Rev. Run on board, Craze will release its first album this year. So far, Kid Rock has solidified a guest spot and will tour with Rev. in a 29-city trip beginning in Evansville, Indiana on Jan. 25. “We’ve become very close friends so we decided to tour together,” Rev. Run told AllHipHop.com. “Our first show together was closing out New Year’s, while MTV dropped the ball live. The tour should be a blast! He's a very nice guy. Very funny! And fun!”

Residents of 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx are trying to hold onto the historic building where DJ Kool Herc (born Clive Campbell) basically got the global phenomenon of hip-hop started. Herc and Senator Chuck Schumer held a press conference pledging to maintain the building's affordable income status. The residents have come up with $11 million of the $14 million asking price, but Herc is asking wealthy hip-hop stars to come up with the rest. "We’re asking all those guys you see in Forbes magazine that are living hip hop to recognize this building," he said. The 100-unit building is one of the last remaining Mitchell-Lama properties in the West Bronx, that provided affordable housing for low-to-middle income families.

Bay Area rappers have come together to promote staying in school on the aptly-titled single “Stay in School.” The track features E-40, Keak Da Sneak and Kontac, a local teacher/rapper. Kontac said in a statement. “With the help of these concerned rappers and this music, we can set new goals and once again be optimistic about our educational goals.” The project is being presented by Beats By The Bay and B.A.R.C. (Bay Area Rappers Care) and also features Jacka, Erase E, Mugzi, Hoodstarz, Federation, and Mac N AK.  Proceeds from the single will go towards funding supplies and reinstating programs at eight different schools in the region. The accompanying video can be viewed on YouTube.

Israeli born Grammy-winning violinist Miri Ben-Ari received another honor for her work as the “Hip-Hop Violinist” (she’s arranged strings for Alicia Keys, Jay-Z and Kanye West). In a ceremony that reportedly took place yesterday in Jerusalem, she was awarded the first Martin Luther King, Jr. Israeli Award celebrating her efforts. The Fellowship of Israel and Black America, an organization working to establish The Martin Luther King Center and Memorial in Jerusalem to “engage the Ethiopian community in Israel with the African American community” presented her with the award. “Being a third generation of Holocaust survivors, I have always believed in the fight against racism,” Ben-Ari said in a statement.