Willie Nelson will be honored as a BMI Icon at the performance rights organization's 55th annual country awards presentation. The gala will be Nov. 6 at BMI's Nashville offices. The designation goes to BMI artists and songwriters who've had a "unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers." Yeah, that fits Willie. For sure.

Common

Mario Tarradell

A little rap with your latte? Chicago rapper Common will be the first hip-hop artist to perform at Starbucks. Unfortunately, he'll perform only at shops in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. However, his upcoming album, Finding Forever, can be bought at Starbucks nationwide starting July 31.

Tracy Brown

After months of speculation that she would do so, Janet Jackson has left Virgin Records, following boyfriend Jermaine Dupri to Island Def Jam. Mr. Dupri tells Billboard.com that she will work on a project with CEO-producer L.A. Reid.

Tracy Brown