The four-man contingent, consisting of Crooked I, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Royce da 5’9”, have laid out all their bars for their upcoming Shady Records-debut album, Welcome to: Our House. Now, they’re just waiting on Em to sprinkle his final touches on the LP.

“The album is done. In terms of vocal recording, we’re done. Marshall is still in the process of mixing, we still got a couple of records that we’re missing,” Royce da 5’9″ recently told MTV News.

They hope to keep their scheduled release date of June 12, but if they have to push it back, it will only be by a month at most, Royce says.

“We’re on pace for June, worst-case scenario, we’re looking at July,” said Royce, “but it’s definitely coming, 100 percent.”

Just like their fans, the fellas in Slaughterhouse can’t wait to hear the finished product. In fact, they told MTV that their music for this album has been safeguarded tremendously.

“We don’t have the music, it stays in the studio. It’s safe there,” Joell Ortiz said. “But every time we go to record or just get up and meet in Detroit with Em and everybody at Shady, I personally ask them to hear records.”

Back in February, Crooked I told XXLMag.com that Eminem is taking a very hands-on approach with their LP.

“Em is putting in incredible effort with this album,” Crooked said. “He’s arranging, he’s being featured on songs, he’s producing. He’s putting in just as much, if not more work, than everyone else as far as Slaughterhouse. If he’s not featured on it he produced it, if he didn’t produce it he arranged it, if he didn’t arrange it…when it’s all said and done, his presence is going to be felt throughout. He’s the fifth member of Slaughterhouse at this point.”—Mark Lelinwalla

Members of the hip-hop community have been talking about President Obama being in favor of same sex marriages. Jay-Z and T.I. have stated in recent interviews that they back Obama’s stance and the always-opinionated 50 Cent recently told XXLMag that he shares his peers’ sentiments.

“I think everyone should be happy,” 50 told XXLMag.com on Thursday (May 17) at the G-Unit offices in Manhattan, New York. “I think a fool is going to go against same sex marriage at this point. The President…look how long it took him to say he was for same sex marriages. You understand?”

’Fif also reasoned that as times change in society, some heterosexual men may need aid too.

“So in process, we need organizations for straight men,” he rationalized. “We do. We need organizations for straight men in the case you’ve been on the elevator and somebody decides they want to grab your little buns. Times are changing. Those organizations are set up for at one point they were being attacked for those choices. Now its completely different. Obviously [homosexuality] is more socially accepted.

“In fact, he added “if you ask women if they’ve had  female interactions and she responds yes, it doesn’t feel abnormal anymore. Its more common than not.”

In a nutshell, 50 supports Obama’s stance on gay marriage.

“I’m up for it,” the G-Unit General said. “If everyone else is for it, then hey, to each his own. I don’t have personal feelings towards it because I’m not involved in that lifestyle. I want people to be happy. It makes for everything to be better.”

50, who will be delivering his DJ Drama-backed mixtape, The Lost Tape, on Tuesday (May 22), echoed recent sentiments from rap peers like Jay-Z and T.I. about same-sex marriage.

On Wednesday (May 16), during an interview with New York City’s Hot 97 morning show, T.I. expressed confusion for anybody who would adamantly oppose gay marriage.

“To be absolutely honest with you, I don’t care,” Tip said. “Okay, I mean…I don’t see what the big deal is, and why some people are so against it. Why would you be so against it if it doesn’t affect you, or your lifestyle? You know what I’m saying? I’m not in their world, it doesn’t affect me if they did or didn’t.”

On Monday (May 14), Jay-Z became the first high-profile MC to back Obama’s stance on same-sex marriage, making his sentiments clear in an interview with CNN.

“I mean, I always thought of it as something that’s still holding the country back,” said Hov about certain states still not allowing gay marriage. “What people do in their own homes is their business. You choose to love whoever you love. That’s their business. It’s no different than discriminating against Blacks. It’s discrimination plain and simple.”—Shaheem Reid

As busy as T.I. is, the King says his proposed joint album with Young Jeezy is still very much a go.

Not only that, but Tip says the two Atlien powerhouses are about six records deep into the collaborative LP, as are he and Grand Hustle artist B.o.B.

“I got a few albums that I’m workin’ on: the Man and the Martian project with B.o.B; me and Jeezy been talkin’ about doin’ this project for a minute,” T.I. recently told Sway Calloway on MTV. “It wouldn’t take us long to do. We got records already in the can and it don’t take us no time to put it together. It’s just a matter of when they would be released.”

Of the two joint projects, The Man and The Martian project would probably be closer to fruition, considering the two are under the same Grand Hustle team. As for the collaborative LP with Jeezy, T.I.  says actually recording it is a breeze. Marketing it and promoting it properly is the challenge.

“It’s not the recording, the recording is easy. It’s a matter of when we would have time to market and promote ‘em and release ‘em,” T.I. said. “We got maybe 30 or 40 [percent done]. Between the two of us, we probably got five or six records.”

Joint projects aside, Trouble Man will mark Tip’s eighth studio album. Earlier in the week he not only set a release date for his LP, but also released “Like That,” another single off the upcoming project.—Mark Lelinwalla

Director Matt Alonzo provides an in-depth look of the Nipsey Hu$$le’s experiences while on tour in Europe.

Kanye appears in the trailer to the next coming season of E!‘s popular “Keeping Up With the Karadashian.”

On Thursday (May 17), during an interview with New York City’s Power 105’s The Breakfast Club, Lil’ Kim attempted to explain what she thought was the origin of the beef between her and Nicki Minaj.

“Me and Slim were friends for four years, and we decided we were going to do business together,” Kim explained. “I was over there at Cash Money, and I was getting ready to be partners with him. When I was over there, we were working a lot. I was in Miami and he would put me in the studio.”

Although a deal never resulted out of the talks, Kim did indeed record a song called, “Grinding Makin’ Money,” which featured Birdman and Minaj. The track was supposed to appear on Baby’s 2009 album, Priceless, but when it didn’t make the final cut, Kim claims that’s when Minaj got “catty” with her.

“The problem with her is, she was very catty with it,” Kim said of Nicki. “I never had a problem with her. I was always nice with her. Always. She was a very obnoxious person, but I was very nice with her. From the time I saw her in that dressing room, the story she told, I don’t even know what the heck she was talking about.

“After that whole Cash Money situation with the song, we’re at Justin’s birthday party,” added Kim, referring to the young son of Diddy. “Perfect time to come up and say, ‘Hey, we did the song together.’ Nothing. And she looked at me and rolled her eyes, and I was like, really? Every single record she made was coming at me.”

Minaj is currently on tour in Australia.—Jakinder Singh

Set to arrive June 26, the Bawse and his MMG cohorts deliver the cover artwork for their forthcoming Self Made, Vol. 2 album.

He’s only been around three years and already everyone from the gangstas to hipsters love Waka Flocka Flame. The riotous rapper and architect of hits like “O Let’s Do It,” “Hard in da Paint” and “No Hands,” graces the cover of XXL’s June issue with a special revealing interview by XXL Digital Content Director Carl Chery. In the story Waka speaks on his fast rise to celebrity status, rumored controversy with fellow Brick Squad leader Gucci Mane, what it was like to live with Nicki Minaj, running a label, bringing gangsta back to hip-hop, his new album Triple F Life: Friends, Fans & Family and the December 2011 murder of Waka’s good friend Slim Dunkin.

Here are some quotes from Waka’s interview:

-“I don’t feel like a celebrity, or this quote-unquote star everybody talk about. I guess Waka Flocka like a job, honestly. I’m at my job right now, so I gotta do it to my fullest.

-“I got a whole label, man. We fire. We the new Wu-Tang, Roc-A-Fella. We what these labels are trying to create right now. We the new Cash Money. Squad! Flockaveli was the return of gangsta. I brought gangsta back, man.”

-“I’m a hipster in my own sense. My little brother’s a hipster a little. Like, he’s a real fuckin’ hipster. Like, a rock-star hipster, so I fuck with ’em. U grew up fuckin’ with ’em. So it don’t matter. I’m with that. I smoke harder than them no matter what. I’m a “Flockster.”

-“Dunk died, I couldn’t do shit four months, almost five moths straight. I couldn’t stay down long forever, cause bills gotta be paid, mouths to be fed. But that shit took a toll on us, man. Like right now, from December to fuckin’ April…That’s how long it took me to bounce back my nigga. That shit crazy.”

Also in the issue XXL catches up with Slaughterhouse, Big K.R.I.T. Nas, and Killer Mike & El-P to talk about their new albums. Ice-T discusses his documentary Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap, and XXL explores the social conscience or possible lack of it in today’s hip-hop lyrics. Plus much more.

The June 2012 issue of XXL hits stands nationwide on May 29. In addition, there will be an Atlanta and New York City performance in conjunction with the release of the issue. Dates will be announced soon.—XXL Staff (@XXLStaff)