3LW Members Say They Didn't Ask Naturi To Leave

Kiely Williams, Adrienne Bailon also dispute former member's food fight story. 3LW's Kiely Williams and Adrienne Bailon say they took the manner in which Naturi Naughton departed personally, and they refute Naughton's claims that she was kicked out of the group and that a food fight was the final straw.

"At no point in time was she asked to leave this group," Bailon said Wednesday (August 28).

Williams and Bailon claim Naughton's decision to leave, which she announced August 21 on a New York radio show, caught them completely off guard, though they do admit tensions between the members had been mounting for some time.

"It was a shock," Bailon said, "because although we were a group, we were friends. And that's what kind of throws us off after hearing everything she said."

Naughton used the airwaves to declare that she was driven out of the group by their manager, Michelle Williams, Kiely's older half-sister, because she didn't "fit the Girl Can Mack image," a reference to 3LW's second album, A Girl Can Mack, due October 22. Amidst swirling rumors, Naughton also said Michelle Williams complained about her performance, her image and loyalty to the group.

The remaining members of 3LW are following through with the release of A Girl Can Mack and, despite talk of the contrary, aren't re-entering the studio to re-record the LP. They're also in the process of setting up a tour, which, for the time being will be staged by just Williams and Bailon.

Despite an urge to press their friend for an explanation immediately after the controversial radio interview, Bailon and Williams were advised to lie low and not engage in a mudslinging match.

But it wasn't mud that Naughton claimed was slung her way; mashed potatoes were the final salvo. The ex-member said Kiely Williams threw a plate of food in her face, and she deemed the action assault. "Nobody has the right to hit me," she told MTV News last week. "That's not what I'm here for ... to be physically abused."

The girls said Williams' 3-year-old sister was actually the culprit. While the girls and their entourage were enjoying a KFC meal, the excited child was flailing her arms about, which flipped her plate and showered everyone in the vicinity with food.

"[Food] was on everybody," Bailon said. "It was on me, it was on Kiely, it was on our manager. ... For her to turn around and say she was physically assaulted, ... we had to laugh."

Williams and Bailon cite the end of last year's TRL tour in September, which also featured Destiny's Child, as the first time they saw signs that Naughton's heart and mind were not in sync with the other members, and they said the events of September 11 may have played a part in her decision to leave. Naughton's initial reaction, they recalled, was to return to Newark, New Jersey, to be with her family and re-evaluate her life. Their response to the tragedy, like that of many others, was to stand strong and try not to let it disrupt business as usual — which in their case included finishing their album.

The girls also said Naughton's allegations that she was booted because she was the darkest-skinned of the three are completely unwarranted and insulting. They claimed to have overheard Naughton tell their production manager that they were trying to kick her out because of her color. Bailon, who is Latino, added that Naughton had alleged that she carried a switchblade and had threatened the former member with it.

"The whole issue of color saddens me as a girl of color," Bailon said. "We never felt we had to [explain] the whole racial thing, but it's hurtful for her to say something like that. This group was formed to bring girls of color together and not rip them apart."

"We were hand-picked for this group," Williams added. "If we wanted to have three light-skinned girls in the group, that's what we would have had."

The solo album that Naughton says is coming also came as a surprise to Williams and Bailon. And while they admit that an understudy was hired for Naughton's part in the group, they said she was only employed as a precautionary measure while the group was attempting to iron out its differences.

"I don't ever intend on bashing Naturi," Bailon concluded. "I don't care what she has to say about us. I know there was a point in time where there was a friendship there."

- By Joe D'Angelo

Ice Cube Plays 'De-Fense' For Disney

Rapper-turned-actor Ice Cube has teamed up with Disney-based Gunn Films to bring the sports-themed comedy "De-Fense" to the big screen. Written by Ice Cube, who will produce the film through his Cube Vision production company, and re-written by Tiger Williams ("Menace to Society"), the project is described as "The Bad News Bears" set in the world of football.

Ice Cube will not star in the project, which is about a suspended National Football League (NFL) player sentenced by the league to return to his hometown of Los Angeles to coach a high school football team. While dealing with the teens and the sport, he finds the love of the game within himself.

Ice Cube will soon be seen in the MGM comedy "The Barbershop" and New Line Cinema's "Friday After Next," which he wrote and produced. He is also in production on Warner Bros. Pictures' "Torque" for producer Neal Moritz. Finally, Cube is also rewriting and co-executive producing the MGM comedy feature "Race" for Hyde Park Entertainment and First Entertainment.

"The Barbershop" opens Sept. 13 in U.S. theaters, and also features another rapper, Eve, as well as Cedric The Entertainer and Sean Patrick Thomas. Released yesterday (Aug. 27), the film's Epic soundtrack features music by Fabolous, P. Diddy, Jagged Edge, Glenn Lewis, and Amel Larrieux, as well as lead single "Stingy" by Ginuwine, which is No. 15 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart and No. 47 on Billboard's Hot 100. 

- By Josh Spector and Zorianna Kit

August 29, 2002

Ashanti's Toes On Fire, Vines Ready For A Sword Fight At VMA Rehearsals

Concerned as the acts were about nailing their performances, they were just as psyched about taking part in this year's event. A few days before show time many award ceremonies are plagued with problems, including under-rehearsed routines, faulty pyro and even artist cancellations. Compared with such events, this year's MTV Video Music Awards are relatively glitch-free. Relatively.

On Tuesday, as many of the artists rehearsed their performances for the show, there were a few hiccups. When stagehands set up giant streetlight props for Ja Rule and Ashanti's stage set, one wobbled dangerously, looking like it might crash to the ground, and as they performed the curtain failed to rise. Sheryl Crow's performance was bathed in unwanted feedback because her keyboard was positioned in front of the house speakers. And a large hanging sign with lightbulbs that spelled "Hives" wouldn't fit behind the band. These problems are all, of course, being addressed.

Concerned as the acts were about nailing their performances, they were just as psyched about taking part in this year's event.

"For me, it's like getting up for that big championship game," Ja Rule said. "It's like the World Series or something like that. This is the big stage and the big show, and you gotta come out and perform and do your best."

"I definitely look forward to just being in the area with so much talent and hot, famous artists and just putting on a great performance," Ashanti said after her run-through. "I can't wait."

The Vines frontman Craig Nicholls was just as enthused about having the opportunity to rock the VMAs. "We're happy that we're a part of this great big thing," he said. "I'm looking forward to playing our song and seeing other people play their songs and just seeing who wins the awards. I got my fingers crossed for the White Stripes."

While on Monday Justin Timberlake showed up to check out the house and host Jimmy Fallon walked the stage and practiced a few lines, Tuesday was the first day the performers rehearsed their songs on the Radio City Music Hall stage. And though the construction crew was still drilling and sawing noisily at a corner of the main set, everything was in working order, including surreal stage designs, projection screens and enough lights to illuminate a small city.

Large cards with the attendees' names and photos were affixed to the backs of the orange seats, revealing the seating for this year's VMAs. At this point, it looks like the front row of celebs will include Lisa Marie Presley, Britney Spears, P. Diddy, Mike Myers, Eminem, Xzibit, Kate Hudson, the Osbournes, Pink, Christina Aguilera, Nelly, Nas, Anthony Kiedis, Kirsten Dunst and Jennifer Lopez.

It's no accident that Triumph the Insult Comic Dog is seated far from Lopez, considering how eager he was to sniff her butt last year. And it will be interesting to see how Sheryl Crow fares next to "Jackass" star Johnny Knoxville.

Crow, clad in blue jeans, a white sleeveless top and a brown cowboy hat, was the first artist to rehearse for the show. Although she was clearly frustrated with the feedback-drenched mix, she maintained her sense of humor and even broke into an impromptu version of the Paul McCartney song "Maybe I'm Amazed." Her mood lifted considerably right before her final take when her golden retriever ran onstage and parked next to her keyboard.

The Hives and the Vines will perform back-to-back at the VMAs in what is being billed as a battle of the bands. But the musicians don't exactly view it that way.

"We're going to have a sword fight if it's not clear who actually sounded better or looked better," joked the Vines' Nicholls before turning more serious. "No man, it's not like that at all. It just so happens that we're playing together. We passed that battle of the bands competition. We did that years ago and I think [the Hives] did as well."

The Hives, who will play on the right front side of the stage before the Vines' full-stage stint, are of similar mind.

"It's not really a competition," singer Howlin' Pelle Almqvist said. "You can't win in music. Everybody loses all the time."

"We're a pretty competitive band," added Hives guitarist Nicholaus Arson, "but the main thing is we don't really like competitions in music."

First the Vines rehearsed for an hour on their own. Their performance was loud, subversive and highly energetic, and on two takes Nicholls replaced all of the chorus melodies with near-random screaming.

"We just try and have a good time," he explained afterwards. "If we're feeling like we're pissed off, I guess it's going to sound pissed off. If we're more kind of mellow, [the music will be] more restrained, more melodic. There's always an element of improvising with our live performances."

The Hives flawlessly ripped through multiple takes of their number and at this point may be the favorite in the battle. Their performance was powerful and energetic, sounding like a cross between the Stooges and the Sonics.

"I actually believe that we're the best band around because we get to decide ourselves what to do in the band, so we might as well do what we think is best," Almqvist said. "And we're skilled enough musicians that we can pull it off."

Ja Rule and Ashanti started their rehearsal by spending 30 minutes walking through their routine onstage without music. Then, with props in hand and lights and special effects at full tilt, they rehearsed in earnest. The performance was seductive and alluring and included a special unannounced guest who should help raise the room temperature when he joins in on Thursday night.

"For me, and I think for a lot of people, it's going to be looked upon as a breakthrough performance," Ja Rule said. "It'll be a performance where you're seeing a unity for the first time. Also I hope people are going to look at it and say, 'Wow, here's a rapper doing something very different from what we're used to seeing.' "

Though she was excited about pulling off the number on the VMAs, Ashanti couldn't wait to get off the stage because her high heels were killing her feet. When Ja Rule joked, "C'mon Ashan, you gotta do this one two-step," she replied, "I only got one step left in me. My toes is on fire."

Judging from their rehearsal, when she and Ja Rule exit Thursday night, the stage will be on fire. And the other performers should burn up whatever's left of it by the end of the evening.

- By Jon Wiederhorn

Because It Felt So Empty Without Him: Eminem LP Back At #1

Clipse have week's biggest debut, landing at #4 with Lord Willin'. After a few weeks of being unseated by new releases, and because it just felt so empty without him, Eminem will settle in atop the Billboard 200 albums chart again next week.

Neck-in-neck with him — as has been the trend since they both appeared on the chart together — is Nelly, who takes second place. The Eminem Show sold more than 170,000 copies, while Nellyville came in close behind with over 160,000 units moved, according to SoundScan figures released Wednesday (August 28).

Sort-of-punk grrrl Avril Lavigne's Let Go moves up a couple of spots to #3, right ahead of the Clipse, whose prayers must have been answered because their Lord Willin' is a new addition to the top five after selling more than 120,000 copies in its first week. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's The Rising rounds out the top five, dropping two spots to #5 with nearly 120,000 copies sold.

James Taylor is at #6 with October Road, followed by Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 10 — featuring Britney Spears, Blink-182 and B2K — at #7. Linkin Park's Reanimation holds strong at #8, and Toby Keith's Unleashed enters the top 10 at #9.

Norah Jones' Come Away With Me moves up three places to #10 after selling another 70,000 copies, bringing its total to just under the 1 million mark. The 22-year-old Jones has been steadily climbing the charts since she released her debut in February.

Several new releases bow in the top 20, including Animal House by Angie Martinez (#11), Something Worth Leaving Behind by Lee Ann Womack (#16) and Tropical Storm by Beenie Man (#18).

In the world of improved placement, there are a few decipherable moves and some more mysterious. Although the album has been out and on every rock radio and video outlet for almost a year, System of a Down's Toxicity jumped 13 spots to #28 with nearly 34,000 albums sold, a more than 6,000-copy increase over the previous week. One year after Aaliyah was killed in a plane crash, sales of her last album, Aaliyah, have increased enough to result in a 30-spot jump to #123 on sales of nearly 10,000 copies.

Thursday's MTV Video Music Awards may be heavily promoted, but you wouldn't know it from the way many artists scheduled to attend performed at record stores last week. Ashanti's self-titled album slips to #19, the Vines' Highly Evolved falls 11 spots to #40, Michelle Branch tumbles to #60, Ja Rule's Pain Is Love backslides to #126 and the Strokes' Is This It takes the biggest dive, 21 places to #135.

Other notable debuts this week include the side project of Joey Jordison of Slipknot and Tripp Eisen of Static X, the Murderdolls, whose Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls enters at #102. Sleater-Kinney's One Beat comes in at #107, and Black Sabbath's double live album culled from '70s concerts, Past Lives, debuts at #114.

- By Abbey Goodman

August 28, 2002

Soul Train Steamed Over Teen's Anti-Ashanti Petition

Fifteen-year-old doesn't think Murder Inc. singer deserves entertainer of the year award. Ashanti doesn't have a reputation for being controversial, but Soul Train's decision to award her their Lady of Soul Entertainer of the Year award has certainly stirred things up.

A 15-year-old music fan's online petition (http://www.petitiononline.com/junjun/petition.html), questioning whether the Murder Inc. singer is worthy of an award that many refer to as "the Aretha Franklin," provoked a harshly worded statement on Soul Train's Web site last week in which the petitioner was called an "idiot" and a "loser."

Rommel Zamora, a sophomore at Woodbridge High in Irvine, California, started the anti-Ashanti petition, he said, because he didn't think she had been out long enough to warrant an award designated for a one-year period. Additionally, he said, "she lacks stage presence in the majority of her performances."

His petition, signed by 25,000 respondents as of Thursday (August 22), says that picking Ashanti is "an insult to other entertainers who are more deserving," such as the suggested alternates Faith Evans, Alicia Keys, India.Arie and Aaliyah.

Last week Soul Train's Web site posted what appeared to be a statement from awards ceremony organizers. Though a spokesperson for Don Cornelius Productions said the statement was not authorized, it was also e-mailed to Zamora from the webmaster@soultrain.com e-mail address (a copy is available on Zamora's Web site, http://www.messed-up.com/soultrain).

The letter, which Zamora described as "unprofessional and vulgar," attacked Zamora and BET.com (which had linked to his petition), accusing them of racism. The letter also made a point of referring to BET, which is geared toward a black audience, as being "white-owned." (MTV's parent company, Viacom, also owns BET.)

"As for the grossly uninformed moron who came up with the totally crude and clumsy idea to initiate his own hate campaign and internet rock-throwing attack against a perfectly honest, time-tested and time-honored process," the letter read, "we urge you to cease and desist from your malignant abuse ... and to take steps ... to open your own Internet Web site, which should appropriately be entitled, 'I'm a f---ing loser, I'm not talented or successful, I don't know sh-- about the music industry and I need to get a motherf---ing life!!"

"Someone got into the system and is not coming clean about it," Soul Train spokesperson Karen Sundell said. "Whoever was responsible [for that statement] was an employee in house, but we don't know who. But it certainly wasn't approved by the powers that be. It was not authorized."

A more temperate statement (http://www.soultrain.com/losa8/rebuttal081502.html )has since appeared on the Soul Train site in place of the first letter. "We at Soultrain.com are very saddened to learn that ... [those who are signing the petition] have nothing better to do with the precious time they all have left on Earth," the new, authorized statement reads. "We must concede that we are also quite amazed that such a large group of individuals ... can be provoked toward such vivid expressions of disrespect and hateful speech ... under the leadership of an individual whose foreign-sounding name may be an indication that he is not African-American."

"After 30 years in the business, I should be told by a 15-year-old white kid who should get an award on my show?," Don Cornelius, creator and executive producer of the Soul Train franchise, said to the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday. "Anyone who instigated those ugly and disparaging remarks against Ashanti is fostering black-on-black hatred. It just happened that a number of people with modems and computers took the opportunity to jump on."

Zamora, who is of Filipino descent, said he finds Soul Train's response to his petition "degrading and insulting." He plans to further protest the awards by not watching them.

The eighth annual Lady of Soul Awards will be held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California, on Saturday and will be broadcast live on syndicated stations.

A spokesperson for Ashanti did not return calls for comment.

- By Jennifer Vineyard

Nelly Switches Up Tour Dates

Outing now begins October 3 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Nelly is rolling out on his Nellyville Tour a little later than first expected.

The outing, which has the Cash Money Millionaires as confirmed openers, now will kick off on October 3 at the Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheatre in Virginia Beach, Virginia, instead of on September 26 in Worcester, Massachusetts, as was previously announced. Despite the switch up in his tour dates, Nelly is still hitting many of the venues that were originally scheduled.

Nelly's spokesperson said the changes were made to squash the rapper's scheduling conflicts. Another factor that makes shoring up Nelly's itinerary a taxing effort is that he does not fly; he travels by tour bus.

More tour dates will be announced in the coming weeks, according to the slang king's rep, as will the final lineup of the Nellyville Tour.

Nelly has been talking to more of his peers about joining him on the road. Eve recently said that she is up for a spot, and Mario has also been negotiating to come aboard the tour.

Nelly's revised tour itinerary, according to his spokesperson:

• 10/3 - Virginia Beach, VA @ Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amp.
• 10/4 - Philadelphia, PA @ First Union Center
• 10/5 - Hartford, CT @ ctnow.com Meadows Music
• 10/6 - Mansfield, MA @ Tweeter Center
• 10/10 - Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amp. Charlotte
• 10/11 - Raleigh, NC @ Alltel Pavilion @ Walnut Creek
• 10/12 - Washington, DC @ MCI Center
• 10/13 - Cleveland, OH @ CSU Convocation Center
• 10/16 - Seattle, WA @ KeyArena at Seattle Center
• 10/24 - Albany, NY @ Pepsi Arena
• 10/25 - Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Coliseum
• 10/27 - Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena
• 10/29 - Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center

- By Shaheem Reid

August 27, 2002

Ousted 'American Idol' Tamyra Gray Gets Another Shot

Fan favorite singer signed to management contract. Just a week after her shocking exit from "American Idol," 23-year-old Tamyra Gray has signed a management deal with one of the show's producers, her first step on the path to a music career.

19 Entertainment has picked up an option to manage the Atlanta singer, who was considered by fans and the judges to be a shoo-in for one of the final slots, if not the potential winner.

Finalists on the show are barred from releasing any music until three months after the winner has put out his/her CD. With an expected September release for the single from the "Idol" champion, Gray said her debut won't likely hit shelves until next year. She has not yet started recording an album, she said.

19 was founded by "American Idol" creator Simon Fuller, the British talent manager who formed and managed the Spice Girls and S Club 7 and helped steer former Eurythmics singer Annie Lennox's solo career.

The ouster of Gray last Wednesday seemed to catch everyone by surprise, with judge Paula Abdul on the verge of tears at the announcement. Judge Randy Jackson vowed to do anything he possibly could to help Gray's career, as did resident British meanie, Simon Cowell, vowing that America has not seen the last of the singer. "Watch this space," he said mysteriously.

Gray, however, said she wasn't surprised. "I was prepared for it," the perpetually chipper singer said. "I knew my performance on Tuesday night was not as strong as it could have been. Out of all three, I was the weakest." During the commercial break before Wednesday's cut was announced, Gray said she told fellow low-vote getter Nikki McKibbin that "she had nothing to worry about and that I would be the one to go."

The show's producers have three months after the September 4 finale to pick up options on the contracts on any of the 10 finalists, who will all appear on the show's finale. The top 10 will also mount a U.S. tour in October and sing tunes from the show on a compilation album due later this year, Gray said.

In the meantime, the final three — perpetual bottom runger Nikki McKibbin, Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini — were back in their hometowns over the weekend making appearances as they await this week's date with elimination.

Fans of elegant singer Gray had been weighing in with thousands of votes of confidence on her "Idols" bulletin board all week. "Tamyra please don't give up," wrote "Mystery Girl." "You deserved more than this competition. You were truly the best in the whole thing. I wish you all the best and that you become the world's next best-selling singer. I bet in a couple of months you can get a record contract and become like Ashanti or Brandy, except way better."

Although, as Cowell said, her career is just beginning, Gray said leaving "Idol" was almost as wild as being on the show. "It's like walking in a new direction," she said. "All I've known the past couple of months is 'American Idol' and this is like stepping out of a bubble and not knowing what to do with yourself."

If the British progenitor of "American Idol," called "Pop Idol," is any indication, we'll definitely be hearing from Gray and her fellow quarter finalists.

"Pop Idol" has already spawned two huge stars in its finalists. The show's runner-up, Gareth Gates, recorded a version of "Unchained Melody" which shot straight to #1 on the U.K. singles chart, unseating his rival, "Pop Idol" winner Will Young.

- By Gil Kaufma

India.Arie Taking Slum Village On Tour

Floetry, K-OS also on board for fall outing. India.Arie will support her second album, Voyage to India, with a fall headlining tour that kicks off October 18 at Detroit's Fox Theatre.

The Grammy nominee has already locked down openers: She will be bringing Slum Village, Floetry and K-OS along for the ride. More dates are being scheduled, according to her spokesperson.  Voyage to India hits stores on September 24, but before that, you can check out the clip to the LP's first single, "Little Things," which focuses on recognizing life's simplicities. That video will be shot on August 29 in New York and begin airing in the next few weeks.

India.Arie's tour itinerary, according to Motown Records:

• 10/18 - Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre
• 10/20 - Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
• 10/21 - Chicago, IL @ TBA
• 10/23 - Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre
• 10/24 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
• 10/25 - Washington, DC @ DAR Constitution Hall
• 10/26 - Upper Darby, PA @ Tower Theatre
• 10/27 - Cleveland, OH @ Palace Theatre
• 10/30 - Stamford, CT @ Palace Theatre
• 10/31 - Cincinnati, OH @ Cincinnati Music Hall
• 11/1 - Baltimore, MD @ Morgan State Fine Arts Building
• 11/2 - Newark, NJ @ New Jersey Performing Arts Center
• 11/3 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Heinz Hall
• 11/6 - Norfolk, VA @ Chrysler Hall
• 11/8 - Charlotte, NC @ Ovens Auditorium
• 11/9 - Atlanta, GA @ Atlanta Civic Center
• 11/10 - Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
• 11/13 - Memphis, TN @ Orpheum Theatre
• 11/14 - New Orleans, LA @ Saenger Theatre
• 11/15 - Houston, TX @ H'Town's Arena Theatre
• 11/16 - Dallas, TX @ Bronco Bowl
• 11/19 - Phoenix, AZ @ Celebrity Theatre
• 11/20 - Phoenix, AZ @ Celebrity Theatre

- By Shaheem Reid

August 26, 2002

Snoop Dogg (A.K.A. Snoop Scorsese) Talks Next LP

Paid the Cost to Be the Boss drops November 19. When you go food shopping for your Thanksgiving meal, Snoop Dogg has an extra item you should put on your list.

"Go get you some ham, some chicken wings and a Snoop Dogg CD," he said Monday while visiting New York. Snoop's new solo project, Paid the Cost to Be the Boss, drops November 19 and will showcase his mic skills as well as his politicking skills. He has a bunch of collaborations in his doggy bag.

"The first single is produced by the Neptunes. It's called 'From the Church to the Palace,' " he described as calmy as hostage negotiator. "When I say it's a monster, it's a monster."

Another monster jam he has on tap is song with a certain wild-haired rocker.

"I'm also working on song I have with Lenny Kravitz soon as I get back home," he said. "Me and Lenny been trying to get at each other for the past three or four years, we finally been able to connect the dots and make it happen." In addition to the 'tunes and Lenny, Redman, his Doggy Style All Stars, producers Jazze Pha, Fredwreck, Just Blaze and Meech Wells all have put their spicy recipes down on the LP.

"It's probably gonna be one of the biggest [albums] I put out, whether it sells seven or eight million or seven or eight thousand," he opined. "It's about the creativity and me making the change and putting together a record I want."

These days, nobody is telling Snoop what to do. Whether it's in the studio or on a video set, he's calling the shots.

"It's the soundtrack to a lifestyle," he described of the first album on Dogghouse Records, the recently released Snoop Dogg Presents ... Welcome to Tha House, Vol. 1. "What I decided to do was put together a record where people can get a chance to see, hear and touch my artists before they came out with solo projects. I wanted to put a record together where they can be showcased by themselves and with me; where the world can say 'This is a talented label and these are talented artists.' "

Members of his musical family Mr. Kane, Soopafly and E-White are all featured throughout the LP, as is LaToiya Williams, who has the first single off the album, "Fallen Star."

"It was an actual song off my album called 'Whatever' and Soopafly liked the beat so much, he was like, 'Let me get the beat and flip it for Toiya.' It's about a relationship she had with a guy and he made her some promises and she ain't falling for the okie-doke."

To make sure the song was represented to fullest visually, Snoop jumped in the director's chair for the clip with co-director Diane Martell and even replaced the Dogg in his last name with "Scorsese" in the video's credits.

"I wanted to bring some old-school flavor to the video because when I hear [LaToiya] voice, she reminds me of Aretha Franklin and artists of the past," he explained. "I didn't want to come with no 2002-looking video, I wanted to come with a video that looks like it's straight out the '70s."

- By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Curtis Waller

Kelly Rowland Takes On Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees

Destiny's Child singer tries to be a survivor in 'Freddy vs. Jason.'  Horror movie fans have always figured Freddy and Jason were destined to meet. But could they have guessed that Destiny's Child would be part of the picture?

Kelly Rowland said she starts shooting scenes for "Freddy vs. Jason" this fall, as one of the female leads.

"I remember being on the set with Beyonc้ on 'Austin Powers' and when she did 'Carmen,' " Rowland said Tuesday on another set — that of Nelly's video for "Dilemma." "She was like, 'You go act. I know you can do it.' She always thought I had personality. I did a couple of TV spots and now that I'm doing a movie, I'm really excited."

Equally excited that Rowland's onboard is Robert Englund, the actor who played dream stalker Freddy Krueger in all seven "Nightmare on Elm Street" films and in a syndicated TV series as well. Johnny Depp, Patricia Arquette ("Little Nicky") and Laurence Fishburne ("The Matrix") all made early career appearances in "Nightmare" films, and if Englund had his way, Rowland wouldn't be the only singer to get a helping hand from Freddy's bladed glove.

"I thought there'd be a great role for Pink," the 53-year-old actor said. "I think this is just me talking about an idea I had. I don't think that was anything that anybody ever acted on. But there is a role that seems like it was almost written for her."

"Freddy vs. Jason" was certainly written with Englund in mind. The idea to pit the two unstoppable killers against each other has been kicking around for a long time. Nine years ago, "Jason Goes to Hell" hinted at the possibility in its closing moments, and now, several scripts later, director Ronny Yu ("Bride of Chucky") is ready to start shooting in Vancouver.

"I'm expecting Federal Express at any moment to come to my house and throw a new [slightly modified script] hot off the presses down," Englund said. "But my [current] script dates back to July and boy, it's a good script. It has the one thing that I felt it had to have — we have to get into Jason's nightmares. Whatever's going on, whatever remains of his synapse and psyche, we have to get into that. And they really exploit that in this. There's also a wonderful set piece at a rave that's just an amazing, amazing sequence."

Freddy Krueger has been stalking teens in their dreams, as the movie mythos goes, ever since a group of parents banded together in the idyllic town of Springwood and set him ablaze for murdering their children. Jason Voorhees began his killing spree at Camp Crystal Lake in "Friday the 13th Part 2," mindlessly butchering teens there until wandering to New York and eventually into futuristic outer space in this year's "Jason X."

"The plot is really ingenious, how they bring the two together," Englund said of the upcoming marriage of the two franchises. "Freddy needs Jason. He manipulates him, and then it all starts to fray at the edge."

Freddy may need Jason, but it's unclear whether "Freddy vs. Jason" needs Kane Hodder, the actor who's played him since 1988.

"Kane is a friend of mine and it makes this difficult," Englund said. "'Cause I think of Kane as Jason. Nobody does the killing machine like Kane. The only thing I know is, they're looking at people. ... One of the things that may be in the rewrites is that there may be a sequence in a flashback, we may see Jason young. Given that, they may be forced to hire somebody younger."

"We're going to revisit the back stories of both characters," he explained. "It's a real imaginative, wonderful, E-ticket ride of exposition. On Jason, you get the exposition and you get a Jason nightmare. My only problem is that we're working on a real lake, outside, for a month of nights in Vancouver. My genitals are going to go up inside me to live — it's going to be so cold!"

Though it's got twice as much killing power as past movies in either franchise, it still wouldn't be a slasher movie without some supporting players. So far only Rowland and Brad Renfro ("Bully") have been cast, though several other actors are in talks.

"It can't be just us," Englund acknowledged. "There's a great secret that's going on in Springwood. As well as that, there's a bunch of new kids. There's a terrific comedy relief slacker in it. And Brad, ... just as an actor, I love his role, because he gets the fun of playing paranoid. Sort of the male equivalent of Angelina Jolie in 'Girl Interrupted,' this is sort of 'Nightmare Interrupted.' [He's] a neurotic and reluctant hero."

Englund points to the first, seventh, third and fourth "Nightmare" films as his favorites, and he promises a "back-to-basics" Freddy in the new film.

"The fans love the one-liners, and we got a little too crazy with them," he said. "We've really returned to core Freddy in this one. It wouldn't be Freddy if he didn't crack some jokes, and he does in 'Freddy vs. Jason,' but they're a little meaner [and] kind of politically incorrect."

Englund said they'll be "trying some new things with the makeup," and, if he has his wish, with the stunts as well.

"They might let me do some of that 'Matrix' stuff," he said. "We're not going to do 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Freddy,' [but] I'm hoping I'll at least get to do a little bit of that. I'm getting too old to get thrown up against the wall too many times."

After almost 20 years as Freddy, Englund has learned to never say never (after all, the so-called "Final Nightmare" was released in 1991). But he promises that when the time comes, he'll hang up the hat and glove.

"I don't want to embarrass myself playing this guy," he said. "I don't want to do 'Freddy vs. Geritol.' "

"Freddy vs. Jason" should hit theaters next summer.

- By Ryan J. Downey, with additional reporting by Corey Moss

August 23, 2002

Jay-Z Intros Blueprint 2;Hoobastank, N.E.R.D. Challenge Security At Tour Launch

Jigga's set doubles as Roc-A-Fella showcase on Liquid Mix outing.  When you hear Jay-Z say "Hovie's home," try not to just think in terms of his hometown. Think about Jigga returning to the stage for his first tour run since last year's Blueprint outings.

Jay had the best of both worlds Tuesday night, performing in New York City's unofficial sixth borough, Long Island, for the start of the Sprite Liquid Mix Tour along with 311, Nappy Roots, Hoobastank, N.E.R.D., Talib Kweli, Borialis, Nonpoint and Blackalicious.

Literally making himself at home, Jay — who came on after 311 sang and rapped about losing love, getting the urge to smoke and always being down despite changing some (some) — dubbed the Tommy Hilfiger at Jones Beach Theater "the Roc-A-Wear Theater" as he stood in front of backdrop of a project building with NYC skyscrapers behind it.

"Hovie's home," he proclaimed before going into "Guess Who's Back," while Beanie Sigel entered the stage riding on a low-rider bicycle. "Guess who's bizack, the boy B. Mizack," Sigel rhymed after Jay finished the first verse.

"How many people out there're ready for The Blueprint [2]?" Jay asked the crowd, whose cheers were their vocal thumbs-up. Jay took the response as a signal to perform a selection from his November 5 release.

"Just the intro, just the intro," Jay said of what he was about to unleash. With no music playing in the background, Jigga started to rhyme about a dream he had in which he talked to the Notorious B.I.G.'s ghost. The two discussed the all the playa hating going on in rap, why Biggie died and why Jay should pay his naysayers no mind ("Then he said, 'Like I said before, just keep doing your thing,' he said/ Say no more").

This led into the most energetic portion of Jigga's set as he and Dame Dash pounded the air with their fists for "You Don't Know,' then Memphis Bleek joined the fray to exchange verses with Jay and Beans on "You, Me, Him and Her" ("Amil-lion, gone!" the trio said on the chorus, referring to the former Roc first lady Amil) and "Change the Game," where the audience exclaimed along with Bleek, "Who the f---/ Want/ What?"

The Killer B's weren't the only Roc family members Jay showcased. Freeway, whose debut, Philadelphia Freeway, is dropping in October, had a mini-set within Jay's program. (Cam'ron and the Diplomats were the only members of the R.O.C.'s rap clique who were not in attendance.)

"It's Freeway in the place with B. Sig," he rhymed on his duet with Sigel, "Roc the Mic." "And I got what it takes to rock the mic right, yeah/ Still watch what you say to me, p---k/ 'Cause I got what it takes to dump the AK clip." Verses from his guest spot on Faith Evans' "Burnin' Up" remix and Jay's "1-900-Hustler" followed before he closed with a new selection from his album, "What We Do."

Bleek then ran through a solo set of his own, with his finale being "1, 2, Y'all," the new single from his October 29 release, Misunderstood, which features Jay-Z and Geda K.

Jay squelched any tedium the audience may have been feeling hearing some of the newer, unfamiliar material with his crossover classics "N---a What, N---a Who (Originators '99)" and "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)." The show then came to a halt again as Dash took time out to present Jay with a plaque, commemorating over 15 million records sold.

Jay couldn't decide which one of his hits from those albums he wanted for his grand finale. Lenny Santiago, Jay's A&R at Roc-A-Fella and DJ for the night, threw a few songs at him, but none were moving him.

Finally, "Big Pimpin' " won out as Jay bounced along with his fans until a loud pyro explosion scared the usually calm and collected wordsmith. Hunched over and laughing at himself, Hovie left his home, telling everyone, "That's it."

The Sprite show came to a halt for some audience members even earlier in the day. Security guards escorted out fans who were jumping railings to come to the front of the then-half-empty venue as one of the first acts on the main stage, N.E.R.D., were performing.

"You should let the fans do what they want to do," the group's frontman, Pharrell Williams, urged the security team a few songs into his group's set. As some crowd members continued scurrying about the venue and being chased by security, Pharrell and company seemed to revel in the disobedience.

"In life, it's all about being a rebel," Williams rationalized after "Let's Stay Together." "We're not breaking the rules because we want to be a--holes."

The energy level for N.E.R.D reached its zenith as Pharrell started beat boxing the drum pattern to "Grindin'," the street anthem by his artists, the Clipse.

"The world is about to feel something that they've never felt before," Pharrell boasted, reciting his intro on the song. Meanwhile, the beat kicked in and the song's stars made a surprise appearance to perform. "Griiin-din'/ You know what I keep in a line-in'/ N---as better stay in line when/ You see a n---a like me shiiin-in'," the crowd sang along in unison.

The crowd and performers remained unified in their disdain for the security personnel during Hoobastank's set.

"I just thought that I'd let you know/ Being near you is/ A gift I only wish I could treasure/ But for now I'll sit and wait," lead singer Doug Robb sang on "Let You Know" before being distracted.

"You're gonna kick them out?" Robb asked security, questioning their treatment of few fans standing in the aisles, separated from the stage by a steal barricade. "I'm gonna come to you, then."

Robb then came down into the floor seats, giving the audience all the intimacy of a lounge singer. "You want to take a picture?" he asked a girl who was clamoring for flicks before saying cheese. "Who else wants to take a picture?" Walking down the aisles, he started talking to the crowd, even telling one guy he should pursue singing. By the time the band started playing "Hello Again," a small crowd of spectators formed around Robb and they all started jumping, conjuring memories of Kris Kross in their first video.

Meanwhile, Talib Kweli was performing in front of a small crowd of his own on the second stage, which also housed Nonpoint, Blackalicious and Borialis. Kweli kicked his titanium-strong metaphors, performing hits such as "The Blast" and new selections like "Waiting for the DJ."

On the mic, Talib showed no signs of frustration, but after his performance, he lamented about not being able to reap the benefits that come from being a part of such an eclectic mix of performers.

"I'm not going to get new fans if they keep me on the lower herb stage," Kweli griped. "They need to move me to the bigger stage, that's what they need to do. We're going to try and make it happen."

Clutch, whose group, Nappy Roots, was the first act up on the main stage with an early afternoon timeslot, assessed the situation. "You gripe at the beginning, but then you realize that you have to get over it, so it don't even matter," he said.

"It's a dirty job, but someone has to get the party started," his rap brethren Skinny DeVille added, before Clutch conceded it wasn't so bad.

"It was a lot of love out there," Clutch said. "We got good feedback."

- By Shaheem Reid

Nelly, Eminem Back On Top of Billboard Chartn

Rappers stop Springsteen's two week run at #1. It's not like they drifted very far, but Nelly and Eminem will retake their places at the top of next week's Billboard album chart.

After being temporarily relocated by new releases by Dave Matthews Band, Toby Keith, and most recently, Bruce Springsteen, Nellyville and The Eminem Show will come at #1 and #2, respectively. Both albums have been in or near the top five since their release more than two months ago. Nellyville moved another 183,000 copies last week, while Eminem's take of more than 178,000 puts his third LP above the 5 million mark, according to SoundScan figures released Wednesday.

Last week's top album, The Rising by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, which held its ground for two consecutive weeks, will drop to #3 with more than 166,000 sold.

Poetic singer-songwriter James Taylor, 54, proves that sensitive guys can still pack a wallop on the album chart, despite the abundance of whippersnappers like Avril Lavigne, whose Let Go will move up four places to #5, and Linkin Park, whose Reanimation will slip a spot to #8. Taylor's October Road, his first studio album in five years, will take the #4 spot with more than 153,000 copies.

Another veteran not quite as long in the tooth as Taylor, Keith Sweat proved he can still generate some chart heat after 14 years. The Harlem-born R&B crooner's latest, Rebirth, will come in at #14, with more than 57,000 copies sold.

Other new releases will bring up the rear of the chart's Top 20. Bluegrass trio Nickel Creek's second album, This Side, which features a cover of Pavement's "Spit On A Stranger," will land at #18. Snoop Dogg presents … the Doggy Style All Stars: Welcome to Tha House, Vol. 1, featuring contributions from the pimping Long Beach MC himself as well as Lady of Rage, RBX and Soopafly, will come in at #19. And just two months after dropping their mix tape album Dirty District, Slum Village's Trinity (Past, Present and Future), which marks Elzhi replacing founding member MC/producer Jay Dee, will touch down at #20.

The remainder of next week's top 10 albums find Now That's What I Call Music! Volume 10 slipping a spot to #6; Toby Keith's Unleashed doing the same to #7; the soundtrack to the Vin Diesel-powered "XXX" entering the top 10 at #9 from its previously held #11 spot; and Scarface's The Fix falling farthest of any top 10 LP, moving from last week's #4 debut to #10.

While Scarface slipped, Project Pat plummeted. His Layin' the Smack Down took a beating at record stores following its impressive chart debut at #12. The fourth album by the Memphis mouthpiece will dive 14 spots to #26 (34,000) while selling roughly 50 percent fewer copies than it did the week prior.

Thanks to the new single "Goodbye to You," Michelle Branch's The Spirit Room will set foot on higher ground, rising 16 places to #54. After over a year in the running, the singer/songwriter's debut LP has sold more than 1.1 million copies.

Last week's death of singer Dave Williams must've made many rock fans realize they were missing out on something as Drowning Pool's Sinner re-enters the chart at #141 with twice as many sales than the previous week.

The biggest leap on next week's chart comes courtesy of the King. Amidst the hoopla surrounding the silver anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, his sensitive side was in high demand as last year's 12-track collection The Very Best of Love, featuring "Love Me Tender," "Can't Help Falling in Love," and "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" rockets up 117 places to #81.

Other notable chart debuts include Chi-town rappers Do or Die's Back 2 the Game at #64; Wiretap Scars by Sparta, one of two offshoots of the now-defunct At the Drive-In, at #71; Mary J. Blige's remix album Dance for Me at #76; pop quintet Jump5's All the Time in The World at 86; the soundtrack to the Disney TV series "Lizzie McGuire," featuring songs from Smash Mouth, Jessica Simpson and Mandy Moore, at #126; the original cast recording of the Broadway musical "Hairspray" at #131; the re-release of 8ball's Lay it Down, featuring tracks from the rapper's underground days, at #143; Lifted or the Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground, from Omaha emo-kid Conor Oberst's project Bright Eyes, at #161; and the soundtrack to "Blue Crush," featuring contributions from Lenny Kravitz, Nikka Costa and Doves, at #197.

- By Joe D'Angelo

August 22, 2002

3LW Become 2LW: Naturi Says She's Out Of Group

It seems that three little women are now down to two. On Wednesday (August 21), 3LW's Naturi Naughton, with her lawyer in tow, told New York City radio jock Wendy Williams that she has been forced out of the group.

With just over one month to go before the release of the trio's second album, A Girl Can Mack, a number of canceled appearances had fueled rumors of discord between Naughton and the other members, Kiely Williams and Adrienne Bailon.

Naughton said she had received repeated complaints about her performance, her image and her loyalty to the group from 3LW's management, which, coincidentally, is run by Kiely's legal guardian, Michelle Williams — no relation to the Destiny's Child member.

Naturi, 18, said that the dealbreaker (or triobreaker, as it were) came when Kiely threw a plate of food into her face after a particularly heated argument in South Carolina, prompting her to immediately fly back to her hometown in New Jersey.

At presstime, there is no official response from the remaining two-thirds of 3LW. Naughton claimed that an understudy has already been training to replace her.

The group's label, Epic Records, and their road manager declined to comment.

- By Minya Oh

Mos Def Talks Directing, New Musical Direction

Creator of 'ghetto rock' balances screen and musical endeavors. Mos Def looks like the troubled lead singer Eddie King Jr. from Robert Townsend's '60s-set musical drama "The Five Heartbeats." Wearing a snazzy form-fitting suit, Mos has his hair permed and combed back, and much like King after singing "Nights Like This," the hip-hop renaissance man is sweaty. He's been under hot lights performing with Faith Evans.

"Could somebody get me a towel please?" Mos kindly orders after halting his performance. "I don't want to use anybody else's towel because once I wipe my sweat, it's not theirs anymore."

While Mos checks out his and Evans' performance on a monitor ("How'd it look up there? I'm a little worried because I was a little stiff," he says to his assistant. "I started some crazy sh--."), the soulful songstress looks like she could have easily stepped out of the old-school flick "Sparkle," with her red wig and dress, and feather boa to match.

"I'm digging it very much," Mos would later say during a break in the day's action, his hair tied up and in a doo-rag to keep it tidy. "I like how we kind of play with time. We're doing this retro thing but not exactly. You see the tattoos [on Faith's arm] and understand it's a setup. That's what I kind of like about it. It kind of messes with the era and it's almost like a clever joke that we throwing at the audience."

On Saturday in Brooklyn's Greenpoint Studios, Mos and Faith were completing the second consecutive day of shooting for "Brown Sugar (Extra Sweet)," the first single from the soundtrack to "Brown Sugar," which Mos also stars in.

"The song is just a up-tempo party joint," Mos said. "Get the girls dancing, get the party moving. I love doing songs about women, and women love to hear about themselves in songs, so it was good to do. And Faith just adds a real element of class to it. I was glad to be able to get a chance to work with Faith."

While Mos was talking, his eyes tended to wander off onto the set. He scoped out the crew members' movements as they moved pieces of equipment. Mos has to make sure everything's on point — there is no one to blame but himself if something goes wrong. He's at the helm, his first time directing a video.

"I'm really encouraged to see what was in my head come out and look good and not be like, 'Oh, I was trippin',' " Mos said. "I'm having a real good time. It's really been no hard parts. Today has been my toughest day because I'm in it. Yesterday I wasn't in it at all. There are scenes where I'm driving, I can see the monitors nearby. The most difficult thing for me is when I'm in it, not being able to see every shot and having to wait for the playback.

"When I'm at the monitor, the performances I can look at and say, 'Let's do this' while the shot is still rolling," he added. "It's always a measure of control that you give up when you're in [the video] and you're directing it. But I have good people around me and I'm confident."

Mos, who said he's always been a visual person, felt no one could get the vision for the clip across better than the person who conceived it: him.

"Basically it's four young women in their daily lives — two of them coming home from work, two of them are chilling at home," Mos described on the video's plot. "[We're] showing the process of them getting ready to come to this party, but just to show them in their natural environment. A lot of times you don't get to see black women in their natural environment. In a lot of videos the girls are already made up beautiful. You don't get to see them at the house, chillin' in their boxers.

"I wanted to do something like that and show that they're beautiful regardless, even when they at home," he continued. "I get a lot of inspiration from photography, Mark Baptiste and others. I wanted to create some stillness and a high-animation atmosphere."

Mos and Faith's performance is actually a scene within a scene. The girls Mos talked about will be watching them on TV as they get dressed for a party.

Whether on the TV screen or the movie screen, Mos has been chalking up plenty of time in front of the cameras as the host of "Def Poetry Jam" and in films such as "Monster's Ball" and "Showtime" — and he isn't planning on letting up anytime soon. He just signed on to play Half Ear, an explosives expert with a hearing aid, alongside Mark Wahlberg, Ed Norton and Charlize Theron in F. Gary Gray's remake of "The Italian Job."

To fans who have been waiting for Mos' follow-up to 1999's Black on Both Sides, Mos promises that his next project will "soon come."

"I never left, man," Mos declared. "I just stay quiet, but I be working all the time. I've been in the studio so much. I haven't released anything. People know that I'm a musician. My basic concern with music is I do what I'm excited about and what I feel."

The object of Mos' affection is an album from his band Black Jack Johnson, which he feels confident will drop this year.

"Black Jack Johnson, I named it after the champion that nobody wanted," the Brooklyn native explained. Jack Johnson became the first black man to win the world heavyweight boxing championship in 1908.

"That's how hip-hop is. We the champs that nobody wants. I call [the music's feel] 'ghetto rock.' It's no description I could give it because it's new. It's new to my ears. It don't sound like nothing nobody's doing or what I've heard anybody do."

Mos divulged that he's been in the studio with Will Calhoun and Doug Wimbish from Living Colour, Bernie Worrell from Parliament-Funkadelic, Dr. Know from Bad Brains and producers Kanye West, Easy Mo Bee and Minnesota. Foxy Brown, N.O.R.E., Styles and Snoop Dogg are among those on the list of MCs he wants for the album.

"It's ghetto rock and roll — ghetto-ready, arena rock-ready, [housing] project-ready," he said. I just gotta let it out. I been working on it forever and I ain't gonna let it go 'til it's right. And it's sounding right, right about now."

The soundtrack to "Brown Sugar" comes out September 24. The movie hits theaters October 11.

- By Shaheem Reid

August 21, 2002

"Soul Train" Untracked?

How do you treat a Lady of Soul? Very, very carefully.

That's what California high-school sophomore Rommel Zamora is learning after launching an online petition criticizing the powers-at-be at Soul Train for selecting Ashanti as their Lady of Soul Entertainer of the Year, an honor to be bestowed on the rising R&B singer Saturday in Pasadena, California, at the Eighth Annual Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards.

Zamora's cyber statement drew the attention of TV and radio stations, amassed more than 20,000 virtual signatures (through today)--and apparently prompted a bizarre diatribe from Soultrain.com that dissed the 15-year-old as a "grossly, uninformed moron."

All in all, more than the kid bargained for.

"I didn't really take [the petition] so seriously," Zamora says. "I was bored and I had nothing to do."

On July 31, the bored Zamora logged onto Petition Online and tapped out a modest (and moderately tempered) 116-word petition, entitled, "Better Candidate for Aretha Franklin Award."

In it, Zamora called the selection of the 21-year-old Ashanti for the Aretha Franklin--the official name of the Lady of Soul's Entertainer of the Year honor--"an insult to other entertainers who are more deserving." (His pick to click? India.Arie.)

"Ashanti simply lacks singing ability and stage presence," Zamora wrote.

The teenager says he told his friends about the petition. He says he figured he and his pals would click enough buttons to maybe crack 100 total cyber signatures. But then media outlets picked up the item--and thousands of people Zamora never met started logging on and adding their names.

Then Soultrain.com got funky.

In a response Zamora says was sent to him on August 9 from the Soultrain.com's Webmaster email address, the entertainment site alternately suggested that Zamora's Internet campaign be called, "I'm a fucking loser, I'm not talented or successful, I don't know shit about the music industry and I need to get a motherfucking life!!"

A call to Don Cornelius Productions, the parent of Soul Train and Soultrain.com, was not returned.

"I think they're just mad," says the still even-tempered Zamora of Soultrain.com.

In addition to being emailed personally to Zamora, the blistering response, which also called out the "white-owned" BET.com for publicizing the teen's effort, was posted for several hours on August 9 on Soultrain.com. (No such page currently can be found on the site. Zamora includes what he says are screenshots of those pages on his own Website, The Untold Truth (http://www.messed-up.com/soultrain.htm).)

In a message about the petition that currently can be found at Soultrain.com, the Website seems to concede it blew a gasket. "We are no longer angry over what has been a turmoil of insults," the unsigned statement reads.

But the "turmoil of insults" hasn't quite died down yet. Soultrain.com bemoans how "such a large group of individuals" could fall prey to "Black-on-Black disrespect and hatred...under the leadership of an individual whose foreign-sounding name (Rommel Zamora) may be an indication that he is not African-American."

"I mean, I'm not black," Zamora says, "but it doesn't matter. That's not the point."

To Soultrain.com, the point apparently is this: "We will continue to pursue our original dream and to follow our creative instincts" (As well as rant about how "during an age when suicide terrorists have been able to level skyscrapers," thousands have "nothing better to do with the precious time they all have left on Earth" than sign Zamora's petition.)

Come Saturday night, Zamora, for one, will have something--anything--better to do than watch the Lady of Soul Awards, to air on various local TV stations across the country.

Says Zamora: "I've decided to boycott them because of how unprofessional they were."

- By Joal Ryan

Jennifer Lopez Making A 'Dirty' Movie

Multitasking diva wants to put 'Dirty Girls Club' on film. Jennifer Lopez wants to put "Dirty Girls" on the big screen.

Lopez is teaming up with producer Laura Ziskin to make the novel "Dirty Girls Club" into a movie. J. Lo hopes to co-produce the picture through her Nuyorican production company, a spokesperson for Lopez said, though he could not confirm whether or not the multitasking diva would star.

"Dirty Girls Club" is by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, a former features writer for the Boston Globe and Latin pop music critic for the Los Angeles Times. The book is about six Latinas from different backgrounds who become friends in college, reunite 10 years later and proceed to get together every six months after that. St. Martin's Press bought the manuscript for almost $500,000.

Ziskin, of course, has "Spider-Man" on her r้sum้. She co-produced the comic book tale, which has enjoyed record-breaking success.

Lopez is developing a comic book related movie of her own, "Shrink," which she may also star in. Also on the slate for Nuyorican is "Carmen" and a picture about a New York salsa singer with the working title "The Hector Lavoe Project."

Right now, Lopez is shooting "Jersey Girl" with "Clerks" writer/director Kevin Smith. "Jersey Girl" co-stars Ben Affleck, who previously worked with J. Lo on the forthcoming "Gigli," a comedy due out next year.

Before any of those flicks hit theaters, Lopez will be seen in "The Chambermaid," which is scheduled for a December release.

- Ryan J. Downey

August 20, 2002

Baby Ready To Unleash Balla Birdman With Help From P. Diddy, Cam'ron

Big Tymer plans to release first volume in series of Birdman albums, The Birdman, October 15. "I ain't never heard of it," Baby said in New York earlier this month about the animated counterpart to his latest nickname, "Birdman." "I may have to watch it."

Baby's moniker has nothing to do with the ability to soar out of volcanoes or even have wings, though he insists he's the flyest.

"To me, the Birdman is a street thing," he opined. "I feel I'm fly. There's no limit to what I do in life. The way I flip in the game, it's like hood rich, neighborhood superstar, because you always got a balla. I just call a balla a Birdman. He ain't necessarily gotta be shuffling, but he's the Birdman."

Baby plans to release the first volume in a series of Birdman albums, The Birdman, on October 15. ("I'mma do 10 volumes and I'm [done being an artist]," Baby explained before changing his mind. "I might just do five and say f--- it.") A second one will possibly follow on Christmas Eve. The Birdman and the D-Boys, which features members of his clique, and a duet LP with Lil' Wayne, Like Father, Like Son, are due to come next year.

"I never really got a chance to fully explore myself and the stuff I been through," Baby said about being in the group Big Tymers. "As far as the Birdman thing, I had a chance to reach out to people I wanted on my album. [My partner] Mannie Fresh said it was cool for me to reach out to a few different producers that he felt would be up to par to do the album."

The Neptunes, Timbaland, Jermaine Dupri, Swizz Beatz, Jazze Pha and Fresh supplied beats, while the Clipse, Cam'ron, 8Ball, Too Short and P. Diddy make guest spots on the mic.

"It's a club song called 'Get the Flow,' " Baby said about his collaboration with Puff. "It's real hot. We still shuffling the first single 'cause I got a lot of hot songs. I'mma let [my brother] Slim and Fresh pick it.

"Volume one is so strong, I wanted volume two to be as strong or stronger," he continued about his still-in-production second solo album. "On volume two, me and Fabolous doing a song together. DJ Clue is doing me a beat and a couple of different producers who didn't make volume one are making volume two."

Baby, who has guested on remixes for Cam'ron and Foxy Brown the past few months, is continuing to make his rounds through the industry. He's featured along with Scarface on Trick Daddy's "Gangsta" off the Thug Holiday album, and Baby recently joined Mr. Cheeks on an upcoming Brian McKnight song produced by Mario Winans. "Brian is a smooth dog," Baby said. "He was chilling in his world, just doing him. More on the pimp, playa partnership."

The New Orleans stunner cites God as the main catalyst for his improving mic skills. "I always been the coach. I taught Juvenile, Wayne, BG and them. They always had the talent, I taught them how to format [rhymes]. I learned how to do that, change my [rhyme] pattern. I start out one way, go into a whole other situation. I learned how to stay more on point with subjects. I'm into stuntin,' I'm a gangsta and a hustla, I know how to put that in my game, plus the fashion. It's just my turn, homie. I do practice a lot because I'm always writing, but at the end of the day it all comes from God."

Baby is gearing up to bring all of the Cash Money Millionaires on the road for the upcoming Nellyville tour.

"I knew of him before he became famous because I used to come through [St. Louis] and they used to tell me about him," Baby recalled of Nelly, who he has toured with before. "Every time I used to come through the Lou, he used to open up for us. Old boy blew up like he was supposed to, but he's cool. It's all love for real."

Cash Money's co-CEO isn't sure how his stage set is going to shape up, but says, "It's gonna be a birdcage somewhere around there, believe that."

Maybe Rodney Jerkins will be joining CMR this fall on tour as well — Jerkins' Dark Child Records signed a partnership deal with Cash Money in July.

"I met Rodney a couple of months ago," Baby said. "I really ain't know the cat was so strong. My brother turned me onto him. He always wanted to do something with us. He said he always thought it would be a hot situation for him. Rodney put out hits, I could see no way I could lose. I'm a hustla, he's got to be a hustla to be so successful. I think we gonna have a big situation as long as Rodney do his thing."

- By Shaheem Reid

B2K Working On Sophomore LP, Holiday Album

R&B group recently shot video for 'Why I Love You.' You could say things are getting crazy for B2K.  For one thing, the red-hot R&B group is already planning two albums, due before the end of the year, to follow up their March self-titled LP. And then there's the fans they've been seeing on the Scream Tour 2.

"The craziest thing I saw was this girl had some jeans on and she glued [press clippings from magazines] all over herself," B2K's Omarion said recently. "She had pictures on her arm, on her forehead. She went all out. She did the damn thing."

The guys plan to give her more CD reviews to wear with album number two. "Our sophomore album, we haven't thought about [the title] yet, but it's gonna be something crazy," J-Boog said. "Our first album was self-titled, so now we gotta come with a tight title. We have to really think about it."

They'd better think fast — the fellas hope to have their second LP of new material ready for a December 10 release.

"Raz-B had a concept that we were going be talking about: We're not robots," Boog said of a possible album theme. "Sometimes people in the industry take you for a robot. People don't really think about you, they just think about what they gotta get. Other than that, [we'll have] some real-life stuff, something people can relate to. We tried to go for that on our first album, but with our label having their involvement in it, we kind of didn't get to do it as much as we wanted to. The second album, we have a little bit more control."

"We're gonna write too," Omarion jumped in. "Get some of that mon-aay!"

Omarion, who plans to implement some his guitar- and piano-playing skills on the LP, said their wish list of producers includes the Neptunes, Timbaland, Jermaine Dupri, Tricky, Fred Jerkins and Platinum Status. Plus the guys themselves want to handle some track-making duties.

They had their first taste of producing while completing their holiday album, Santa Hook Me Up, due in October.

"Lil' Fizz did some rap songs on there, and he got to produce some of the vocals on there along with his brother Romeo from IMX," Boog said. "I got in there a little bit, but Fizz did the bigger part of it. We plan on all working together when we do our new album."

"We got the traditional [songs], like 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' and 'Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,' " Boog continued. "We did some new stuff too. Lil' Fizz's cousin Jhene is on the Christmas album. Platinum Status produced the album. We have songs with TG4 and IMX."

Their whole camp was present during the recent video shoot for "Why I Love You."

"We got to play basketball for a minute," J-Boog said. "We wanted to play for longer, but we had to shoot the actual scene. We shot it in L.A. All our family was there. It was kind of funny because it was the first time our girl group TG4 was actually at a video shoot. It was a good experience for them."

The shoot went a lot better than the Scream Tour 2 kickoff show in Memphis.

"Man, you wouldn't believe this, we only got to rehearse for that whole show for a week [before the concert]," O said. "We just got our show how we like it. The first show in Memphis, we didn't have our pyro, we didn't have all our stage."

"A lot of stuff was pretty messed up," Boog said. "We're getting everything together. We had to change some stuff around, but it's all good. This is our first arena tour. And performing in front of all those fans every night, that's something you can't even explain."

Like Jay-Z says, after the show is the after party. That is, unless you have to do a ton of post-show interviews, which B2K often do as late as midnight.

"We don't really get a chance [to party] 'cause they're working us so hard," O said. Perhaps it'll be a different story when he starts work on the gospel musical "The Fighting Temptations," a project that also has Cuba Gooding Jr.'s name attached to it.

"I'm supposed to be playing this guy called Jimmy B," Omarion said. "He's from the South; he's from the ATL. So I have to go down to the ATL and get me a little ATL action. I ain't been reading the script, but I did get scripted for that. Plus the whole acting thing, I'm into that."

- By Shaheem Reid

August 19, 2002

Scarface, Heralded For His Past, Keeps Eye On Future

'I could have easily been lost in the wash,' former Geto Boy says. Chances are, Scarface is your favorite rapper's favorite rapper.  DMX and Face collaborators Nas and Jay-Z have all heralded him as one of the realest and best to grab the mic. Ludacris loves him so much, he affectionately calls him "uncle." Yet after over 10 years, Scarface is still surprised that so many people give him props.

"Looking back on where I come from and what I go through, that's some big sh-- for me, for artists to feel my sh-- because I feel their [music] too," Face said earlier this month from his hometown of Houston. "I appreciate that, man. I appreciate people looking at me like that. I could have easily been lost in the wash like a whole lot of other good rappers."

Upon the first couple of looks at the cinematic, semi-autobiographical video for Face's current single, "My Block," you may think that the legendary storyteller is indeed lost. He actually doesn't appear in the Mark Klasfield-directed clip until the video is almost over. Face said it was all a part of the bigger picture.

"I told Mark Klasfield I wanted to be different. I didn't want to do the same [type of] rap video; drinking and dancing and shooting dice and smoking weed, riding hard with cars," Face recalled. "I just wanted to do something different. I didn't want to shoot a rap video. I think every video I shoot is going to be an alternative, like the 'Smile' video. I gotta keep it like that."

Face's next video will be for his duet with Faith Evans, "Someday." The track basically doubles as an open letter to God, as he affirms devotion to the Lord and asks for forgiveness.

The Houston artist thinks it "sucks" that some artists are unwilling to address religion in their music. "If they don't, they should. I think that that message should be spread across the country," he explained. "It's way bigger than us, it's way bigger than what we are."

Later on the album, Face again explores spirituality on "Heaven," in which he starts off reflecting on his life.

"That's a sick ticket right there," Face gushed. "It's three different verses to that. On the second verse I talk about God, the last one I touch the political side. At the end of the day, we depending on the reverend to get us in [Heaven], but in reality, he's just another man trying to get there."

Besides his first love as an MC, Face is also enjoying success with Def Jam South. He's a perfect two for two with his first artist, Ludacris, who dropped back-to-back multiplatinum smashes. On September 10, the label goes for the hat trick with the release of Golden Grain, an album featuring collaborations between Cris and his clique, Disturbing The Peace.

"Ludacris and DTP, them dudes just self-maintained," Face said with humility. "I've been in the studio twice with Cris and he's got three albums worth of sh--. I think [Golden Grain] is a very uniquely put-together compilation record. It's got a lot of different players. I think Shawna and Cris and [guest] Twista have a smash record on there."

Face insisted that the future of Def Jam South includes more than projects featuring himself and Ludacris. "I guess I always been a artist/executive because I keep my eye open for the new sh--," he rationalized. "That's the only thing that interests me in the game, putting out something new. In my case, I'm kind of set in my ways, I love to be me. But I love hearing new [kinds of music] and helping artists put they sh-- out. It's a lot to learn. The people that have it down pat realize they don't have it down pat.

"The ink is dried up on a couple of artists I'm looking at," he added. "This guy from West Palm Beach, Florida, Bumpy Johnson — if it's anybody that's as funny as Cris and Devin the Dude, it's him. He's got wordplay and he's country and he's a spitter."

Face still believes he can spit with the best of them. That what pushes him to keep the number on his rap jersey.

"I can't even use [Michael] Jordan as an example but I will," Face said. "Jordan will come in and show them young bucks that he can still score 30 a game. Outside of the situation being right, I can still do it. Music, that's my passion. That's what I love."

The love is still there for his old team, but don't expect any reunion of Face and the Geto Boys.

'Not a chance," Face clarified. "If you see that happening, just know they gave me a bunch of money.

"Every now and then I speak to Willie Dee," he continued. "I love Willie and [Bushwick] Bill, but it's just not economically feasible for me to do that. Everybody is gonna want money. You got four egos involved: mine, Willie's, Bushwick's and Rap-A-Lot CEO J Prince's. Me and J are real tight, but it's business too. In order for me to [do another Geto Boys album] I'm gonna need something — all up front."

- By Shaheem Reid

Ja Rule, Linkin Park, Usher, Hives, More Added To VMA Bill

Brandy, Sheryl Crow, Vines, P.O.D. also new to night's roster. Ja Rule, Linkin Park, Usher, Brandy, Sheryl Crow, the Hives and the Vines are on their way to New York's Radio City Music Hall for the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards on August 29.

VMA nominee Ja Rule joins Crow and budding buzzworthy acts the Hives (who are also nominated this year) and the Vines as the latest additions to a performance roster that already includes Nas, Ashanti, Eminem, P. Diddy, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Pink and Shakira. (Click for photos of this year's VMA lineup.)

Linkin Park, Usher, P.O.D. and Brandy, as well as "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini and actresses Brittany Murphy ("8 Mile") and Kirsten Dunst ("Spider-Man") have been announced as the newest additions to the night's stable of presenters.

The additions beef up a list of presenters that already includes Britney Spears, Nelly, B2K, Bow Wow, Avril Lavigne, Enrique Iglesias, Kylie Minogue, Johnny Knoxville and "American Idol" judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, as well as the show's final two contenders.

"Saturday Night Live" comedian Jimmy Fallon will host the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, which will be broadcast live from New York's Radio City Music Hall at 8 p.m. ET/PT on August 29.

- By Robert Mancini

August 15, 2002

Dru Hill Getting Ready To Make Girls Scream Again

Nokio discusses reunion disc, Dru World Order, due November 12.  While B2K were driving adolescent girls into a tizzy across town at Madison Square Garden, Tamir "Nokio" Ruffin was sitting in Soundtrack Studios, remembering the days when his name used to roll off girls' lips with the frequency that the names Omarion, J-Boog, Lil' Fizz and Raz-B do today. "It was crazy," Nokio said with a laugh after devouring a takeout seafood dinner. "This girl came running up to me yesterday for a hug and said, 'I was loving you way before I was loving B2K.' "

But there are no screaming girls at Soundtrack. The main room is temporarily submerged in silence.

"I can't believe we actually have an album coming out," Nokio said of the Dru Hill reunion disc, Dru World Order, due November 12. And not only are Nokio, Sisq๓, Jazz and the gospel-singing Woody all back in the fold for their first LP since 1998's Enter the Dru, the guys have a new addition.

"His name is Scola, and he's been with us since day one," Nokio said. "He's the guy whose songs we were listening to in Baltimore, like, 'Yo, we need to make songs like that.' We was like, 'Yo, you our boy and you been here.'... We seen him coming up for so long, going from not being in the right situations, you just want to see everybody come up. Especially being from Baltimore. There aren't a lot of opportunities down there. You gonna see his face on the album cover, the girls are going to be screaming for [him]. He just brings a different element that we didn't have before."

Nokio said the original members first got back together during a Dru family tragedy, when Woody's mom died and the four of them performed at her funeral.

"We went up to the pulpit to sing a song together, and that was the first time everybody had the chance to look at each other like, 'Yo, I miss you, dog. What's up, man? What you been doing?' The communication was there, and it kept getting stronger and stronger. One day me and Sisq๓ were on the phone talking about doing a remix to one of the songs on his last album and that conversation turned into, 'Yo, we just need to go make an album — let's stop playing. I went down to his crib for eight months.' "

The duo called the rest of their squad in October and started writing. By the end of December, they had recorded a large chunk of their songs.

"My man is itching to get onstage bad," Nokio said of Sisq๓, who has cut his cornrows down to a Caesar and is wearing his natural black hair color. "His voice is like it never was before, he's just ready to go. Ready to be at where we were in the beginning."

Dru Hill have indeed taken it back to their roots for their still-untitled first single, due in September.

"I should be your boyfriend/ 'Cause you know he's lying/ It might seem like I'm hating/ But I'm just relating," they harmonize over a mid-tempo track that's pampered with funk and strings.

"After we listened to it, the harmony, what we was saying, it was that Dru Hill record that reminded you of why you like Dru Hill," Nokio said. "It was good to be able to sit back and debate about it like, 'I don't know what record we gonna put out because we got so many records' rather than 'That is the only record we have. Let's put it out right now.' "

N.O.R.E. makes a guest appearance on the club banger "On Me," while Nokio himself is the star of a ballad he refers to as "the baby father anthem."

"I wrote that song on Christmas Eve that just passed," recalled Nokio, who sings, "While you're in bed with another man, I just want to talk to my child" on the track. "That was the first Christmas I [didn't] have no girl. Wasn't nobody there, wasn't nothing happening. I was like, 'Why I ain't got no girl? This ain't like me.' It made me think about all of the stuff I had done over the years to different girls."

"I called Scola up and started singing the first two lines," Nokio said, "and he was like, 'I don't know what you're going through, man, but keep going through it.' You'll listen to the album and a lot of it is girls, relationships and everything, ... but the undertone is you could see everything we went though. All the pain. All the nights we were sitting around not knowing what was going to happen. ... Dealing with the fans, 'Y'all ain't never coming back.' We put that all into the record."

Besides the Dru Hill album, which he produced most of, Nokio is staying busy with his A&R consultant gig at Def Jam, where he is overseeing projects by 3rd Storee and Loveher. He also has his own N-tity management and production companies, where he'll soon be laying tracks for DMX and Scarface.

- By Shaheem Reid

Vandross, Levert Lead 'Summer Soul' Charge