Three months ago, former Dipset affiliate Max B (real name Charles Wingate) was found guilty of manslaughter and conspiracy to commit robbery (among other charges) stemming from a 2006 incident in northern New Jersey. Today, the Harlem rapper was sentenced to 75 years in prison.

A jury found Max B guilty of nine of the 11 total counts he faced during his trial, all of which stemmed from an incident wherein the rapper and two other men attempted to steal $30,000 from another pair of men at a Holiday Inn, leading to one of those two getting shot. Max fired his attorney Gerald Saluti shortly before the sentencing and plans on appealing the sentence.

The rapper was first introduced to the rap world as a member of Jim Jones' Dipset offshoot crew Byrd Gang a few years ago and is known best for delivering a scathing verse on a Jay-Z dis track called "You Gotta Love It," which was anchored by Cam'ron. He was just building a healthy mixtape portfolio when he was arrested in 2006. He has still managed to release music, most notably the Coke Wave mixtape (a collaboration with French Montana) and a proper full-length album that has seen its release delayed by a falling out with Jones and his ongoing legal troubles. In fact, G-Unit's Tony Yayo talked to MTV News correspondent Shaheem Reed back in December and said that he was considering trying to acquire Max B's contract. However, B's musical future is clearly in doubt, though incarceration hasn't stopped other rappers — like Shyne and C-Murder — from putting out albums.

By Selina Kaye

On Tuesday, I hung out with MTV News' Mixtape Daily crew on their trip to G-Unit headquarters in New York City to check in on Tony Yayo. The rapper was promoting his latest mixtape: A project called Gangsta's Paradise that is hosted by DJ Drama, one of the hottest DJs in the game.

Though he always projects a steely cool alongside fellow crew members 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks, Yayo was energetic during the Mixtape Daily shoot. He shook my hand like a real gentleman and asked me about working for MTV while wearing a killer pair of Louis Vuitton sunglasses (which easily must have cost him $700) with a matching Vuitton headband.

Yayo talked about his mixtape as well as his upcoming projects for G-Unit and how he feels about former crew members Young Buck and the Game. And of course he weighed in on MTV's "Hottest MCs" countdown, which will be unveiled next month.

The biggest challenge of the shoot? The weather. We got all the equipment set up on the building's balcony (which gave us an amazing view of the city) only to bring everything back in once it started raining. Once it finally cleared up, Yayo and Drama unveiled a few Gangsta's Paradise tracks before Yayo headed downstairs to give an interview sitting in his cream-colored Cadillac Escalade. Pretty soon a crowd formed around the car, and I heard a girl on her phone saying "Oh my god, that's Tony Yayo!" He signed a few autographs for his fans before heading back into the building. Like his always glad-handing G-Unit cohort 50 Cent, Yayo remains a man of the people despite his stardom.

By Josh Rosenstrauch

I seem to keep finding myself in these interesting situations with the artists I meet. A few weeks ago, Tony Yayo suggested that I become a UFC fighter, and now Wyclef Jean has challenged me to a push-up contest.

I sat in on an interview with Wyclef at his studio in Manhattan today. I was very excited to meet him being a big fan of his music ever since he dropped "Gone Till November" back in 1997. Wyclef recently released a track that I love called "Warriorz," which is supposed to be featured on his upcoming mixtape Toussaint St. Jean. I planned on telling him how much I loved the track and was hoping maybe he would spill a little information about the tape. Needless to say, my plan was not carried out very well.

Once Wyclef walked in the room, he shook my hand and introduced himself. Before I could say anything, he stared me down and said "Do you work out?" It became clear to me at this moment we would likely not be discussing music.

He asked me if I thought I could do more push-ups than he could. Now, this was a tough question. If this were any regular guy, I likely would have responded with a quick "Yes," but this is a man whose music I have been listening since I was 9 years old. Noticing my hesitation, he told me to throw out the number that I thought I could do. I told him I could likely do about 100 consecutive. This didn't seem to faze him.

He began telling me that growing up in Haiti, he was forced to learn how to fight at a young age. He claimed to be able to do 200 consecutive push-ups. I told him I was a little skeptical of that. Wyclef then proposed the challenge. "I'm performing at the Nokia Theater in September. You have two months to train. I'm bringing you on stage and well see who can do more push-ups then."

Bring your cameras — it's going to be a showdown.

By Danielle Beavers

Almost anyone who's heard of 50 Cent would assume he is the epitome of a player. After Monday's experience with G-Unit, a few of our female interns now know just how big of one he truly is.

As a News intern, I sometimes get to sit in and watch how interviews are conducted. When word spread that 50 and G-Unit were on their way over for a sitdown with Tim Kash, a bunch of us jumped at the opportunity to help out. What ensued was both entertaining and slightly uncomfortable.

This in from MTV News producer Joseph Patel, who’s currently on assignment in Africa with 50 Cent. That’s right: Africa. The rest of us are either at our NY desks, in LA traffic, or otherwise chained to the Tri-State area. (We hate you, Joseph.) Here's his report on just one of the incredible moments MTV News has captured in South Africa this week:

It's a crazy thing, my job.

Yesterday, super-production manager Phoenix Higgins, super-camera guy Nick Neofitidis, and I flew 18 hours from NYC to Johannesburg, for an assignment documenting 50 Cent and G-Unit's tour of South Africa and Tanzania.

This isn't JUST a tour. 50 is here to see and learn about the region and continent in a way that perhaps he didn't appreciate the last time he was here, in 2004. This morning, for example, we rushed to Hector Pieterson Memorial museum in Soweto to meet up with 50 and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, who was giving 50 a lesson on Apartheid and its effect on South Africa. Mandela's grandson is the spitting image of a young Nelson, and has a lot of his grandfather's austere diplomacy -- except he's young enough to know who 50 and Jay-Z are. After the tour, guided by Mandela's grandson, 50 gave out 20 dollar bills to the local kids before his car got mobbed and his manager made him speed away.

The picture above is a shot of the younger Mandela and 50, mobbed by some local Soweto kids outside the old Mandela family home. Everyone here knows who 50 Cent is, and is in a state of suspended disbelief that he is in their country.

We were on our way to the Apartheid Museum, at the entrance, in fact, when we were told by 50's tour manger that we had to turn around and head straight for Madiba's house.

(Find out who Madiba really is, after the jump...) Read more...

Super-shooter Akshay Bhansali reports from the set of G-Unit's "Like the Way She Do It," the first video for their upcoming album, T.O.S. (Terminate On Sight):

While most of you enjoyed your sleepy Sunday, Tim "TKO" Kash and I trucked out to Brooklyn to join 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo on set. While the back-and-forth between G-Unit and exiled member Young Buck is the latest hip-hop playground spat to make news -- Buck released a dis track over the weekend, in case you thought 50 was wrong -- his absence at the shoot hung in the air amid wafting clouds of...other stuff.

Check back with MTVNews.com for more on G-Unit's T.O.S. (Terminate On Sight), and the ongoing feud with Buck. And see lots more pics from the video shoot right here.

Yesterday when we posted a clip here about how Fiddy's tired of his G-Unit crew living it up at his house, we got a boatload of comments. But most of you weren't concerned about whether or not Lloyd and Tony Yayo were going to get expelled from the mansion. Instead, everybody was chiming in on Fiddy's new svelte figure: from ultra-buff to 185 pounds soaking wet.

ChrisW: "He looks sick, face looks small compare to a couple of years ago. What's up with dat?"

SBI Baby: "Fif look coked up!"

ms.3000: "Fiddy looks like he got something bad (look @ his face). Whats up wit that?"

CAREBEAR: "50 LOOKS SICK."

Tracie J.: "WTF? I think those rumors of Fifty using may be true. Man he has lost a helluva lot of weight quickly, look at his face and not acting himself at all."

Brandi: "What's really goin on with you, 50? You really do look like you can use some sleep. Or somethin. I mean damn, you look like you lost a good 25lbs. G-Unit, Let that man sleep. Damn!"

And our personal fave:

Div: "50 needs a damn cheeseburger!"

So is Fif sick as a dog? On the Gwyneth Paltrow diet? What?

All your answers can be found here.

50 Cent and G-Unit swung by the 29th-floor HQ of MTV News last night to talk about their upcoming album. But while they were spilling all about their new music, Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks started to tell our hip-hop mastermind Shaheem Reid about how Fiddy's lifestyle has changed. Like, the man isn't all that happy anymore that his friends are tearing it up in his house when all he wants is to get to bed at 10pm. We're not kidding you -- this goes on for a whole minute. Fiddy threatens to sell his Connecticut mansion just to get some peace -- he wants "a regular house where regular people can live."

The clip is priceless.

More from the crew on their new tracks, the new album title, and their recent split with Young Buck will be rolling out at MTVNews.com over the coming week.