While the whole Hip-Hop Is Dead yada-yada is pretty tedious, I can’t front, some weeks hip-hop looks to me like it’s flapping around on the floor, gasping for air. During my daily web rounds, I often keep a running tally on what’s good and what’s, well, so far from good. Here’s the love/hate rundown for today.

HATE-erade first, since you all seem to fiend for it endlessly:

1. More Bey-Z breakup rumors. (Link via Fresh.) Don’t know about all of you, but I can’t take another Page Six-style Jayoncé scandal. And not cause I’m sick of hearing about Hov and B, either. It’s because I know a lot of good girls out there that are living vicariously through that relationship. If Jay is not Captain Monogamy—if he’s indeed sexing Rihanna—and the crazy in love couple never makes it to the alter, it pretty much shatters the whole reformed thug/playboy fairy tale that so many females have been hanging on to. The consensus seems to be this: if the hottest chick in the game can’t keep her man faithful, what hope is there for the round-the-way girls?

2. The Tru-Life diss on Cam. Yep, he got some good jabs in. And yep, it did make the Cam/Jay (non)beef way less snooze-worthy. But when Tru says his Dominicans would put one in Cam’s face in broad daylight, I tend to believe him. What happened to his Beef DVD moment of clarity? Which brings me to my next item…

3. For the love of God, hip-hop, stop shooting. This includes all manner of staged publicity stunts as well as real, spontaneous, beef-induced gun battles.

4. The champagne boycott drags on. Can we keep it moving? Please?

5. If you didn’t know already, talking trash makes you popular in the workplace/blogosphere. Since that’s the case, feel free to get in on the He Said/She Said about hip-hop staffers over at Journalisticks.

On to the LOVE segment. The following things are keeping me from pulling out my hair right about now:

1. New York. Count me as one of the “three people who still care about New York.” Looks like there are a few others, too. (In fact, if a certain Canadian can get sorted on the paperwork front, she might just be calling the city home sometime in the near future.)

2. The following songs: Busta Rhymes’ “I Love My Bitch,” Cham’s West Coast remix for “Ridin’ Dirty,” Saigon’s “Don’t Do That,” Nelly Furtado and Timbo’s “Promiscuous.”

3. The Clipse might actually release an album sometime soon. Ditto for Saigon.

4. Hip-hop artists from all over the world gather tomorrow for a show in Vancouver that’s part of the World Urban Forum. Lots of good vibes and stuff.

5. The MuchMusic Video Awards were watchable this year. And Kardi got the respect he deserves. (Almost, anyway. Why was he not in the running for the Best Rap Video category?)

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