Will Smith Secures Rights To Sidney Poitier/ Bill Cosby Flicks

Will Smith may not have come up a winner at the Academy Awards, but the actor/rapper can revel in a victory elsewhere in Hollywood. He and his production company, Overbrook Entertainment, have just secured the rights to produce the remakes of the '70s films "Uptown Saturday Night," "Let's Do It Again" and "A Piece of the Action," according to a spokesperson for the company. All three motion pictures starred Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier, who was honored at the Oscars on Sunday.

The Overbrook spokesperson said it's too early to tell when the films will come out or if Smith will be starring in them. Smith does, however, have his eyes set on going in front of the camera for another movie — he is in negotiations to reprise his role as gun-busting fly-guy cop Mike Lowrey in a sequel to "Bad Boys" that would also star Martin Lawrence.

You'll definitely see Smith in a sequel to "Men in Black," which opens this summer. There is practically no information on the former Fresh Prince's next solo LP, however, though a spokesperson for Columbia Records did say it is currently slated for a June release.

In the original "Uptown Saturday Night," Cosby and Poitier starred as two guys on the trail of bandits who stole their winning lottery ticket at an underground nightclub. "Let's Do It Again" found the pair hypnotizing the dark horse in a boxing match (Jimmie Walker of "Good Times") to knock out the odds-on favorite in order to collect a huge gambling payday. Cosby and Poitier hit the trifecta with "A Piece of the Action," in which they played two thieves trying to go straight.

- By Shaheem Reid

Sisqo Shoots Back At Nas, R. Kelly On 'This Is Heart'

When you have a rattlesnake cornered, he's going to come out striking with the quickness. When you do the same to his reptilian brethren, or in this case a singer who calls himself a dragon, you should also expect some consequences.

After being dissed and mocked by Nas and R. Kelly, Sisqó has released a retort record directed toward both performers called "This Is Heart."

"N---a said he was the best shorty/ Now you testing my vest, shorty," he sings on the track. "Nas and R. Kelly tried to hold me/ Getting no airplay/ Now they bore me/ ... Ain't nobody gonna take what's mine."

Sisqó isn't alone on the song — he leaves most of the mic time up to his protégés the Associates, with one of them calling Nas the queen of Queensbridge and another saying of Kelly's recent sex scandal: "Let me remind you of that ish you did/ The 'world's greatest'? whatever/ Ain't nothing but a child molester."

A spokesperson for Kelly had no comment on the song, and representatives for Nas could not be reached.

What has caused Sisqó to take time from recording the new Dru Hill album and spew all this angry verbiage? Well, Kelly took a couple of potshots at Sisqó on "Shorty," from The Best of Both Worlds, his new joint release with Jay-Z: "Said I wouldn't mention Sisqó/ F--- it, he's a bum." In January, Kelly told MTV that was in retaliation for Sisqó's false prophecies of shutting down the R&B game with his solo album Return of Dragon last summer.

Later that summer, Sisqó became caught in the verbal crossfire of the Nas and Jay-Z battle. "Is he H to izz-O, M to the izz-O?/ Fo' shizzle you phony, the rapping version of Sisqó," Nas rhymed in the underground freestyle "Stillmatic."

Coincidentally, Nas is also the center of attention in a dis freestyle by Nature, one of his former partners in the Firm. On "Nas Is Not," Nature accuses Nas of being a fake thug and not taking care of his deceased friend Ill Will's mother, among other things.

Both tracks can be heard DJ Kay Slay's (aptly nicknamed the Drama King) latest mixtape, Renegades Part 8.

- By Shaheem Reid March 28, 2002

Jay-Z Going Hard Rock With Limp Bizkit, Korn Members

After making an "Unplugged" performance with the Roots, it seems that Jay-Z can't get enough of performing with big-name backup.

Korn bassist Fieldy, Limp Bizkit drummer John Otto and Static-X guitarist Wayne Static will back up Jigga when he performs at the ESPN Action Sports & Music Awards ceremony, which will be held on April 13 at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.

The de facto group will perform under the moniker "the All-Star Band" at the ceremony, which will also feature performances by Unwritten Law, X-ecutioners featuring Xzibit, 3rd Strike and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The Chili Peppers will be doubly honored at the ceremony, as they'll take home the Action Sports Artist Contribution Award.

Now in its second year, the ESPN Action Sports & Music Awards ceremony aims to celebrate the strong connection between, yes, action sports and music. Other awards will honor the year's top athletes in 17 categories such as BMX, snowboarding, and skateboarding, as well as specialty nods such as the Action Sports Achievement Award.

ESPN will televise the event on April 16.

- By Abbey Goodman

Lauryn Hill's 'Unplugged' Due In May

After countless delays and rescheduled release dates, Lauryn Hill's "MTV Unplugged" album will finally see the light of day May 7 via Columbia. The two-disc set runs 106 minutes and features entirely new, solo acoustic songs that may wind up on Hill's sophomore solo album. A video clip of the artist performing the track "Oh Jerusalem" is available from her official Web site. The episode premiered earlier this month on MTV2.

Hill has two shows lined up in the coming months. She will make a previously announced May 11 headlining appearance at the St. Lucia Jazz Festival in the Caribbean, and will join the Mahotella Queens and Mariza for California radio station KCRW's Global Divas III, set for July 14 at the Hollywood Bowl.

Here is the tracklist for "Unplugged":

"Intro"
"Mr. Intentional"
"Adam Lives in Theory"
"Interlude 1"
"Oh Jerusalem"
"Interlude 2"
"Freedom Time"
"Interlude 3"
"I Find It Hard To Say (Rebel)"
"Just Like Water"
"Interlude 4"
"Just Want You Around"
"I Gotta Find Peace of Mind"
"Interlude 5"
"Mystery of Iniquity"
"Interlude 6"
"I Get Out"
"Interlude 7"
"I Remember"
"Never Forget (So Much Things To Say)"
"The Conquering Lion"
"Outro" 

- By Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

March 27, 2002

Mystikal Sued For Advocating The Sucking Of Crawfish Heads

Is that a Cajun in Your Pocket or are you just happy to sue me?

In what has to be one of the weirder lawsuits out there, Louisiana rapper Mystikal is being sued by the inventor of Cajun in Your Pocket, a key chain/toy that utters six Cajun phrases at the touch of a button, for copyright infringement. New Orleans entrepreneur Steve Winn is bringing the case against the rapper for allegedly copping phrases from the device, which voices the Cajun national motto, "Laissez les bon temps rouler" ("Let the good times roll"), and the romantic "Ooooh I love you like a pig loves corn," among other sayings.

The case alleges that Mystikal says two more of the phrases, "You gotta suck da head on dem der crawfish!" and "We gon' pass good time, yeah, cher!" verbatim in his 2000 hit "Shake Ya Ass." It's not only the words Mystikal says, but also the way in which he says them. Winn claims that Cajun in Your Pocket is a "copyrighted sound recording and arrangement of words and sayings." As such, his position is that Mystikal is infringing on his copyright and seeks songwriter credit, retroactive profits and royalties, and an estimated $1.25 million in damages.

Winn, however, is not claiming 100 percent ownership of the song; he and his lawyer Greg Eveline are awaiting a musicologist's report to determine what exact percentage they will claim. "It really stands out in the song," Eveline said. "We're not asking for the world. We just want our share. Mystikal is from [Louisiana], so it's obvious where [the phrases] came from."

Mystikal's lawyer Roy Maughan Jr. said, "Winn did not make up those expressions. They've existed in the language for over 100 years. Since he wasn't the creator of them, they aren't unique to him. He can't copyright them. We dispute his claim completely."

Eveline said that, while it is true that the basic sayings have been around for some time, none of them are exactly the same as his client's interpretations of them.

"On their own Web site, it claims those are 'authentic Cajun expressions,'" Maughan pointed out. "Well if that's the case, you didn't make them up! The expressions [haven't been modified] in such a way that gives them uniqueness or protection."

Furthermore, Maughan said, " 'Cher' is a term of endearment in the French language. It is not a protectable phrase. 'We gon' pass good time' has been said verbatim many, many, many times. To say because you put two common, non-protectable phrases together all of a sudden gives it uniqueness is ludicrous."

This isn't the first time Cajun in Your Pocket has been at the center of a musical melee. Four years ago, Ani DiFranco accented her song "Angel Food" with phrases from Cajun in Your Pocket — the actual recordings, not just the sayings in her own voice. Winn avenged his product and the case was settled for around $20,000.

But it's not as simple in this case. The copyright infringement is only half the problem Winn has with "Shake Ya Ass." "This is a toy for 5-year-olds and up. It's sold 60,000 copies. And now it's associated with sex. Oral sex, anal sex. I don't know. But it doesn't help the sales," Eveline said.

"The guy who made this device sells it locally in service stations for a couple of dollars," Maughan said. "He's not the reason Mystikal sold many millions of copies of his album. You have to look at their contribution versus ours. It's less than three seconds of a four-minute song. To suggest two little expressions is what makes the success of a song is a pretty significant stretch."

The court date for the case is set for mid-September.

- By Abbey Goodman

Brandy Plays Peeping Tom-ika In New Video

Of course you wouldn't be surprised to catch Brandy traipsing the red carpet at some fancy star-studded gala, but in her new video for "Full Moon," she proves she isn't too gassed to party with the regular folks.

Shot in Los Angeles a little over two weeks ago by red-hot helmer Chris Robinson, "Full Moon," the title track from Brandy's current LP, opens with the singer doing what any multi-platinum siren would on a night off: stargazing through a telescope on her balcony.

Brandy then becomes starry-eyed while playing a bit of a peeping Tom-ika when she turns her attention to a house party a few miles away. There she locks pupils with a longhaired stud, so she crashes the shindig in hopes of meeting him.

Brandy, who's a few months pregnant, doesn't dance in the video. But even if she weren't with child, everybody knows it's all about standing against the wall, looking cute and not doing the Harlem shake when you're trying to subtly attract a potential Mr. Right.

You'll get to see for yourself if Brandy is a true Mack this week. "Full Moon" premieres on "TRL" on Thursday.

- By Shaheem Reid

March 26, 2002

Jacko: Touring for Dollars?

Sure, his much hyped comeback album Invincible proved anything but--that's not stopping Michael Jackson from dusting off his moonwalking shoes and gearing up to launch what will be his first North American trek since 1993's Dangerous tour.

Jackson--who has done one-off shows in recent months, including a two-night tribute to himself at Madison Square Garden last fall and a September 11 benefit concert--apparently hopes the tour will goose his flagging album sales, according to the New York Post.

The singer has not publicly announced any tour, although the music world has been abuzz for months with the prospect.

In January, concert promoter Marcel Avram--who oversaw Jackson's 1992-93 Dangerous and 1996-97 HIStory world tours--sued the singer for allegedly reneging on an agreement to promote his next tour. In the complaint, filed in Santa Barbara, California, Superior Court, Avram said he believed Jackson was negotiating with unidentified other parties regarding the tour.

This week, reports in Billboard and the Post also hint at the Jacko tour, with Billboard saying the singer will do a "limited run in May."

In any case, the curiosity factor is bound to be high if or when Jacko unveils his tour plans.

"It can't be a bad thing for the concert business at all. He's another headliner who hasn't been seen by the public in a long time," says Gary Bongiovanni, editor of the concert trade Pollstar. "How big [his tour will be] remains to be seen. But I suspect that he would be a pretty solid arena-level act...as long as he doesn't get ridiculous with his ticket prices."

The 43-year-old Jackson has eschewed hitting the concert circuit in the States ever since being dogged by controversy that he molested a 13-year-old boy at his Neverland Ranch in the early '90s. While no criminal charges were ever filed and Jackson reached an out-of-court settlement with the boy's family, the singer has since only toured abroad.

But with Invincible selling a relatively meager 1.8 million copies, according to SoundScan, and his first single, "You Rock My World," failing to rock anybody's world on radio or the charts, Jackson may be ready to reconsider his self-imposed North American tour ban.

Another possible reason for the tour, according to various reports: Jackson needs the money. Invincible supposedly cost Jackson the off-the-wall sum of $40 million to produce.

Foxnews.com also says Jackson's label, the Sony-owned Epic Records, is looking for Jacko to pay off his debt with the company.

Jackson reportedly is considering allowing Sony to buy the remainder of the Lennon-McCartney Beatles catalog from him--an amount estimated to be worth anywhere from $400 to $600 million--and arguably the most valuable collection of tunes in the world.

Sony already owns half of the catalog, having purchased it from Jackson for $100 million in 1991 (the singer famously beat out former moptop Paul McCartney and bought the collection from Sir Lew Grade's estate in 1985 for $47.5 million).

Then in the mid-'90s, with his record sales declining and legal bills mounting, Jackson asked the record giant to back a $200 million loan he took out with lenders. In exchange, he put up the other half of the collection as collateral.

Now, Foxnews.com reports Sony Music Publishing president Richard Rowe has said it's time for Jackson to finally pay off those outstanding debts. "Sony will either make [Jackson] a cash offer for the catalog or just call the note," Foxnews quotes an unnamed source. "But it's going to happen. Richard Rowe is on the phone with them all the time."

Sony is pressing to close the deal by March 31, when the company's fiscal year comes to an end.

The sale won't help console McCartney, who has made two failed efforts to buy back the Beatles' classic collection in the last 20 years and will be on the sidelines once again when this current deal goes through. However, he and John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, will still receive piles of dough because the publisher is required to split profits with the songwriters.

And despite Jackson's financial problems, a rep for Epic tells the Post that under his current deal, the eccentric popster still has "two more records with us. He isn't going anywhere."

- By Josh Grossberg

Jay-Z Slates New Single, Video

Even with a new collaborative album with R. Kelly just released, Jay-Z is still mining his 2001 solo album for singles. "Song Cry" is the latest track extracted from the hip-hop star's Roc-A-fella/Def Jam album "The Blueprint." Despite no previous promotion from the label, the song has already appeared on Billboard's Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles airplay chart, peaking at No. 12 in January.

A video for the track was recently shot in Los Angeles with director Sanaa Hamri. Along with Jay-Z, the clip features Dame, Biggs, and Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Carla Maria.

Released last September, "The Blueprint" debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and also topped Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It has already spawned several hit singles, including "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" and "Girls Girls Girls," which peaked at No. 4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, and "Jigga That N****," which peaked at No. 29.

Although "The Best of Both Worlds," Jay-Z' Roc-a-fella/Jive/Def Jam collaboration with R. Kelly, was only released yesterday (March 19), three songs from the set have already reached Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. The title track peaked at No. 39, while "Get This Money" peaked at No. 55 and "Take You Home With Me A.K.A. Body" recently topped out at No. 57.

As previously reported, Jay-Z will among the performers at the April 9 UrbanAID 2 benefit concert at New York's Beacon Theatre, presented by LIFEbeat. The show will also feature Alicia Keys, P. Diddy, Ja Rule, the Roots, Fat Joe, Ashanti, Musiq, and comedian Jamie Foxx at the show, which will be taped by BET for future broadcast. Kelly was originally set to appear, but recently dropped off the bill.

A limited number of "gold circle benefactor tickets" for the show were released today (March 20). Available through Ticketmaster, the $250 ducats guarantee seats in the first 12 rows of the theater. Proceeds from the event will benefit LIFEbeat's AIDS and HIV awareness and prevention programs. For more information, visit the LIFEbeat Web site (http://www.lifebeat.org). 

- By Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.

March 25, 2002

Ashanti Asserts Her Independence On Solo Debut

She's not kidding when she says she won't always be there when you call. Not only is Ashanti heading out on the road as one of the featured acts on Ja Rule's Pain Is Love tour this spring, she's striking a new independent chord in her music.

"Unfoolish," a remix of her hit "Foolish," is sending the message, "Girls, we've got to get our act together," she said last week. "It's like, 'We're not gonna take it anymore. I'm glad to get you out of my system. I'm not gonna be foolish anymore.' It's an uplifting record."

The track, which will be on her self-titled debut, samples the Notorious B.I.G.'s "F--- You Tonight" featuring R. Kelly and includes one of Biggie's verses from the song. "I'm leaving you tonight," she sings on the chorus, playing off Kelly's lyrics of "I'm f---ing you tonight."

Ashanti, who is in the midst of a promo tour for her April 2 release, said "Unfoolish" won't be the only song where she's giving a guy the cold shoulder. "Leaving" finds her squaring off with none other than Ja Rule.

"It's hot," she exclaimed. "Actually, when we shaped and molded it, it was supposed to be like 'Always on Time Part 2.' In 'Leaving,' it's like, 'I'm leaving. I gotta let you know right now I'm leaving.' And [Ja's] the one that's [saying the] 'baby don't go' type of thing. So it worked out really good."

Ashanti admitted she softens up a little down the road on the LP and picks up the phone for her gentleman caller. " 'Call' is hot," she boasted. "I really like 'Call.' It's like when you call on someone, kind of similar to 'Always on Time.' 'When you call I come running baby. ... I'll be right there for you, but only you can call on me like that, though, 'cause I've got love for you.' "

"Happy," which she suggested will be dropping in the next few weeks, is also about dropping your defenses. "It's just a great vibing record. It's a feel-good record, especially for the summer, and that's where we kind of want to gear it toward. I'm talking about how you found that person and you were searching for him and you're just happy."

- By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Curtis Waller

Alicia Keys, Isley Brothers Win Three Soul Train Music Awards

A newcomer and a veteran act took home the most wins at the 16th Annual Soul Train Music Awards Wednesday (March 20) night in L.A., as Alicia Keys and the Isley Brothers nabbed three awards apiece.

Keys was honored with awards for Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist and Female Album (for Songs in A Minor), and the Sammy Davis Jr. Entertainer of the Year, Female. The Isley Brothers took the nods for Best R&B/Soul Single and Album by a Group, Band, or Duo (for "Contagious" and Eternal, respectively.)

The syndicated show, which was co-hosted by Faith Evans, Arsenio Hall, Yolanda Adams, and Shemar Moore, will air between March 30 and April 7. For air dates and times, go to www.soultrain.com.

16th Annual Soul Train Music Awards winners:

• Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist: Alicia Keys
  

• Best R&B/Soul Album, Female: Alicia Keys, Songs in A Minor
  
• Best R&B/Soul Album, Male: Usher, 8701
  
• Sammy Davis Jr. Entertainer of the Year, Female: Alicia Keys
  
• Sammy Davis Jr. Entertainer of the Year, Male: Dr. Dre
  
• Best R&B/Soul Single by a Group, Band, or Duo: Isley Brothers, "Contagious"
  
• Best R&B/Soul Album by a Group, Band, or Duo: Isley Brothers, Eternal
  
• Best R&B/Soul Single, Female: Aaliyah, "Rock the Boat"
  
• Best R&B/Soul Single, Male: Musiq Soulchild, "Love"
  
• Best R&B/Soul or Rap Album of the Year: Jay-Z, The Blueprint
  
• Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video: Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, "Get Ur Freak On"
  
• Best Gospel Album: Donnie McClurkin, Live in London
  
• 2002 Quincy Jones Award for Outstanding Career Achievements: The O'Jays
  

- By Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna

March 22, 2002

Snoop Dogg Digging Up Three More Movies, New Album

Snoop Dogg is getting his mojo on for his next movie, and he wants a multiplatinum rocker to be his leading lady.

"I've got a movie that's being shot around right now, it's called 'Lady T and Mojo Slim,' " Snoop said Sunday on the set of another upcoming movie, "Old School." "I want Gwen Stefani to play the opposite of me in that movie, so we're trying to get that to happen. It's like a 'Bonnie and Clyde' movie."

While the pairing isn't likely to happen (Stefani's management denies it), Snoop's film career shouldn't suffer. Not only is the Doggfather coming off three popular projects from last fall — "Training Day, "Bones" and "The Wash"  — he has another three in the works.

In "Old School," which stars Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell and Luke Wilson, Snoop plays the entertainer in a party scene. "It was fun because the people were enjoying the sh-- and it was in a different light," Snoop said after filming the scene with fellow rapper Warren G. "Instead of just regular acting, it was more performing, and that's what we do."

In the scene, Snoop performs a remake of Eric B & Rakim's "Paid in Full," which will also be included on the soundtrack. Snoop is so impressed with his version, which features additional vocals by Tracy Nelson and Kokane and percussion from Cypress Hill's B-Real, he plans to include it on his upcoming album, Big Snoop Dogg: Paid the Cost to Be the Boss.

Also in the works for the budding big-screen star is a drama called "48 Honey."

"It's like a gangbang story, a 'hood story," Snoop explained, kicking back in his dressing room as Warren G and Vaughn played video games. "It's real sharp. It's slick. It's deeper than any other movie that you've ever seen that's 'hood orientated."

Snoop was inspired to improve his acting chops after working with thespians like the Oscar-nominated Denzel Washington in "Training Day" and Vaughn in "Old School."

"It's like the real ones who are really making quality movies, my acting is steppin' up to be in their realm," Snoop said. "So it's not just low-budget 'hood roles that I'm doin'. I am reaching out now, and I am getting the chance to be in the presence of real actors. And these people I've been involved with today, it's just a blessing. I'm thanking you all for giving me the opportunity, Hollywood."

Once these films are finished and Big Snoop Dogg is on shelves, Snoop plans to explore other roles, possibly even star in a romantic comedy.

"I'm with all that," Snoop said. "I've got kids. I'm into making movies for all people, kids and middle-aged. I don't want to just keep it one-sided. I like it to be for everybody, just like my music."

- By Corey Moss, with additional reporting by Jonathan Cane

Alicia Keys To Hit The Road In July

It's been a heck of a year so far for Alicia Keys, who took home five Grammy Awards in February for her album Songs in A Minor, which has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide. And, with a multitude of appearances and a full summer tour on her schedule, her star should shine bright well through the year.

Keys' 35-date North American tour will begin in Milwaukee on July 2 at Summerfest and will run through August 30 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, at the American Music Festival. Keys will celebrate Independence Day in New Orleans at the Essence Festival; other acts for that bill have yet to be announced.

Other major stops include a four-date stay in the New York/New Jersey area (July 16 to 20) and two-day stints in Boston (July 10 and 11) and Los Angeles (July 30 and 31). Keys' shows in Tempe on July 26 and Las Vegas on July 27 are rescheduled dates that were postponed March 6 and 8, respectively.

Before leaving for the tour, Keys will attend the 16th annual Soul Train Music Awards on March 20 in Los Angeles. Keys is up for four trophies and will definitely leave with the Sammy Davis Entertainer of the Year award.

Alicia Keys' summer tour dates, according to J Records:

• 7/2 - Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest
• 7/4 - New Orleans, LA @ Louisiana Superdome
• 7/6 - Detroit, MI @ Pine Knob
• 7/8 - Toronto, ON @ Sears Theatre
• 7/10 - Boston, MA @ Fleet Boston Pavilion
• 7/11 - Boston, MA @ Fleet Boston Pavilion
• 7/13 - Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun
• 7/16 - Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
• 7/17 - Wantagh, NY @ Jones Beach Amphitheatre
• 7/19 - Camden, NJ @ Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
• 7/20 - Atlantic City, NJ @ Etess Arena at Taj Mahal
• 7/22 - Atlanta, GA @ Chastain Park Amphitheatre
• 7/24 - Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
• 7/26 - Tempe, AZ @ Gammage Auditorium
• 7/27 - Las Vegas, NV @ Aladdin Hotel & Casino
• 7/30 - Los Angeles @ Greek Theatre
• 7/31 - Los Angeles @ Greek Theatre
• 8/1 - Paso Robles, CA @ California Mid-State Fair
• 8/4 - San Diego, CA @ Summer Pops at Navy Pier
• 8/5 - Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara County Bowl
• 8/7 - Sacramento, CA @ Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
• 8/8 - Concord, CA @ Chronicle Pavilion
• 8/10 - Seattle, WA @ Key Arena
• 8/11 - Vancouver, BC @ General Motors Place Concert Bowl
• 8/12 - Portland, OR @ Theatre of the Clouds
• 8/16 - Louisville, KY @ Kentucky State Fair
• 8/17 - Des Moines, IA @ Iowa State Fair
• 8/18 - Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre
• 8/20 - Memphis, TN @ Orpheum Theatre
• 8/21 - Maryland Heights, MO @ UMB Bank Pavilion
• 8/23 - St Paul, MN @ Minnesota State Fair
• 8/25 - Syracuse, NY @ New York State Fair
• 8/27 - Allentown, PA @ Great Allentown State Fair
• 8/29 - Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post
• 8/30 - Virginia Beach, VA @ American Music Festival

- By Jon Wiederhorn

March 21, 2002

Impulse Shopper Nelly Nearly Purchases Small Town

So after copping hot wheels that make hearts drop, a crib so plush that even haters have to salute, and enough ice to bring the room temperature down a couple of degrees, what does a multiplatinum rapper do to show he has his floss game down pat?

How about spending enough dough to not only be the talk of the town, but to own it? It was exactly that aspiration that led to the title of Nelly's next album.

"I was riding right up by St. Peters, Missouri," he said last week before a studio session with the Neptunes in New York. "It's kind of out there — a lot of trees, deer hunting and fishing. I was test driving a truck, just riding through, and I came across a town that was for sale. It was for sale, the whole damn town! I was thinking, 'I should buy the whole town and call it Nellyville.' "

Nelly chose to save his pennies, but the idea stuck in his head, and now Nellyville is scheduled for release June 25.

"Nellyville is everything that's in my world, how I see it," he said. "How I [perceive] different people now, 'cause I see them in a new light, and how people see me. Nobody gave me a manual on how to adjust to selling so many records at a fast rate. If [Country Grammar] was my third album, I would know how to adjust a little better. But it was my first, and there I was, thrown amongst wolves. You see a lot of things change and you're not ready for it."

Nelly says that the biggest change from the last solo album to this one was having to work around his busy schedule, which included several awards show appearances, tours and a Super Bowl halftime performance.

"Everything has been hot fo' sho'," he said. "It's been different for me, because when I was doing the first album I wasn't doing nothing but pretty much that. This album [required] staying focused and continuing doing what you'd been doing — not straying away from the path, but not taking away from what you can do. You get a lifetime to do the first album and a year and some months to do the second one. It's kinda hard to be like, 'OK, pick up where you left from.' Especially since the first one did so well."

Nelly attributes a large portion of Country Grammar's sales to the breakout first single. He admits picking an initial offering from Nellyville hasn't been as easy.

"That was crazy because that was already a proven single for us," he explained. " 'Country Grammar' was something we were doing in the underground of St. Louis. We had a chance to research that. We had that out like a year before we even had a deal. St. Louis went crazy for it. For that to happen, we were like, 'OK , we must [have] something here.' Right now, I don't know. It depends on what type of direction I'm trying to go in. I think since I am known for the party [songs] I think I might go somewhere else with it. Let me establish something else, some new terrain."

Nelly has songs in the can like "The Big Gank," a sequel to "Country Grammar" called "CG2," a duet with Trina called "Party and Bullsh--," a posse cut with the St. Lunatics called "Air Force Ones" (Justin Timberlake and Cedric the Entertainer are the only other guest stars so far) and a track called "Pimp Juice." He has a couple of favorites he's leaning toward — either the title track or "Splurge."

"Splurge' is something else from me," he said. "The hook goes something like: 'You see the magazines/ Me on your TV screens/ You think you know me/ But you really don't/ You don't even know but I/ I'm feeling good about myself/ So I splurge a little.' OK, I'm chilling, I'm feelin good right now. ... If I wanna buy a car, I'm 'a buy a car. If I wanna buy this, I'm 'a buy this. I worked hard. That's what 'Splurge' is."

With that frame of mind, we may just see a real Nellyville in the future.

- By Shaheem Reid

Attention Mall Shoppers: B2K In-Store Canceled By Stampede

At the rate they're going, B2K may soon have to do all their public appearances via satellite.

The young pop/R&B quartet's current tour with IMX had to be moved from clubs to theaters because of the crowds they were attracting, and on Monday an in-store appearance in Concord, California, was cut short when some fans didn't want to wait their turn in line.

B2K, who released their self-titled debut March 12, were signing autographs at the Sun Valley Mall Sam Goody store when some of the more than 1,000 fans waiting outside bumrushed to the front, according to a mall spokesperson.

Kim Eri Opacic, Sun Valley Mall's marketing director, said the mall was told by B2K's record label to expect a couple hundred people, so the mall's staff was caught off guard. The event, scheduled to last two hours, got too hectic only 40 minutes in.

"They rushed the storefront. At that point we said, 'No more,' " explained Opacic, who said she had never heard of B2K until last week. "Safety is more important. We temporarily cleared the center of everyone."

The mall was closed for about 30 minutes until the fans left. Opacic said Sam Goody has held similar autograph signings for jazz musicians and has never had any kind of problem.

"They usually draw about 100 people," she said.

Although neither B2K nor their representatives could be reached for comment Tuesday, last week the group said it may have found big enough venues to hold its fans. B2K are expecting to tour arenas with Lil' Bow and IMX this summer.

- By Shaheem Reid

March 20, 2002

Project Pat Facing 10 Years For Firearm Conviction

Project Pat was convicted Wednesday by a federal jury in Jackson, Tennessee, on two counts of possessing a firearm as a felon stemming from an incident early last year.

The "Chickenhead" rapper, whose real name is Patrick Houston, faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced June 6 in Memphis, according to Associated Press.

Project Pat was arrested in January 2001 after Memphis police pulled him over for speeding and found two revolvers under a seat in his SUV. He was on parole for aggravated robbery at the time.

The rapper was first tried in January in Memphis. The jury deadlocked, and a second trial was scheduled in Jackson. He was taken into custody following the verdict in U.S. District Court in Jackson, according to The Jackson Sun.

Even though Project Pat spent most of 2001 behind bars for the parole violation, he still managed to have a hit single with "Chickenhead" from his third album, Mista Don't Play: Everythangs Workin.

On his follow-up album, due in April, he addresses serving time on the song "County Jail." "I don't wanna go to county jail no more, more, more," he sings with a girl in a nursery-rhyme fashion on the song's chorus.

The 30-year-old is a member of the Hypnotize Camp Posse, which also includes Three 6 Mafia.

- By Corey Moss

Things Get a Bit Shaggy At World Music Awards

You didn't see Alicia Keys walk away with fist-fulls of awards in Monaco, but Shaggy did. The charismatic rasta man reigned over the 14th annual World Music Awards, Wednesday, March 6, walking away with four esteemed honors for best-selling male artist, R&B male artist, reggae artist and American artist. Just short of beating Shaggy out of the number one spot with four trophies were the ladies; Dido, Enya and Destiny's Child accepted three awards each. The event is held at the prestigious Monte Carlo Sporting Club and has direct links to Prince Albert of Monaco who recommends the proceeds from ticket sales benefit the Monaco Aide and Presence Foundation, a worldwide children's organization. Look for ABC to air the ceremony later this spring.

March 19, 2002

Wyclef Jean Nabs 'All-Ghetto Cast' — Including Tom Jones — For Album

So now we know what Wyclef Jean's been doing since he dropped his last album, The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book. He's been working on his new LP, Masquerade, which is due later this spring, and apparently sharpening his culinary skills.

" 'Warning' basically [says], 'Don't get mad at me if you show up in the house and I'm with your girl and I'm cooking breakfast,' " he said last week in his Platinum Studios of a song off of the new project. "Don't get mad at me, get mad at yourself. That means you was doing something wrong. A thug like me will be up in your house."

And why wouldn't any lady fall victim to Clef's charms? While giving the 411 on some of the tracks, he said he also has a cut that will keep him at heartthrob status.

"You know I'm a sexy brother," he said with a smile, sitting in front of the control boards. "So we gotta have the sexy joints for the ladies. I did a joint with Claudette [Ortiz] from City High, 'Two Wrongs Don't Make It Right.' I figured that out in arguing with my girl. We'd be arguing, then I gotta give up because you can't argue with no girl. She's gonna always be right."

Besides City High's sexy siren, Clef said he called upon M.O.P. and Freddie Foxx for the title track and 61-year-old loverman Tom Jones for "What's Up Pussycat?"

"It's an all-ghetto cast," he said of the album. "[The concept is] it's a radio station, 93.1. We're dedicating it to my father who passed away on September 3, 2001. It's sort of like, if I had my own radio station and I could play hip-hop and R&B the way I wanted to, this is how it would sound. So come with me into the pirate radio station. Most likely they gonna shut us down, but we gonna keep going till the end of the record."

Besides being dedicated to his late father, Clef also wanted to thank the hip-hop fans with the album. He said that while he's touched on a bevy of genres with his music, he hasn't forgotten about them, and hopes they haven't forgotten he can still get "grimy" with the rhymes.

"I dropped Ecleftic a year and a half ago," he began to explain about why he's calling the new LP Masquerade. "A masquerade is a mask, and this album is talking about every mask you got on, starting with myself. I start off with kids selling crack in the community and reveal the mask of drugs. The second joint is called 'The PJs,' [which is about] where I came from, revealing the mask in the projects. Then I got a joint called '80 Bars,' [where I'm just] spitting. No hook, revealing the mask of 'Can he still spit?' " 

- By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Elon D.

Solange, Beyonce's Lil' Sis, Says She's No Destiny's Child

While raising the Knowles girls, mother Tina was constantly entertained. She wasn't the only one.

"I don't know how she had friends," Solange Knowles, younger sister of Destiny's Child singer Beyoncé, said of her mom. "We used to harass her friends, They would come over, we would make tickets, and Beyoncé would sing, and I would dance. We did it all."

A few years and the massive success of Destiny's Child later, Solange is taking her show out of her Houston home and introducing it to the world. This time, someone else will be making the tickets.

Last week, Knowles launched the Young Pop Power Tour of malls across the country with Swedish pop quartet Play and R&B singer Devin, her labelmates at Music World Music, run by Solange's father, Mathew Knowles.

On June 25, the 15-year-old will release her debut album, Solo Star, which features a who's-who of hot producers, including the Neptunes, Rockwilder, Timbaland, Linda Perry and Damon Elliott.

Beyoncé also produced a track for the album, though Solange warns not to expect her to sound anything like her big sister's group. "My sound is Solange. It's definitely not Destiny's Child," she said.

Solo Star is primarily uptempo R&B, though Solange said there are rock, reggae and hip-hop flavors. Other than a duet with B2K on "Dance With You" and Murphy Lee of St. Lunatics rapping on "Scooby Doo," which is also due on the soundtrack to the upcoming movie of the same name, the album is guest-free.

"With a name like [Solo Star], which means that I'm a star just being by myself, I didn't want to have everybody and their mama on my CD, it wouldn't make sense," Solange said. "I really wanted people just to get to know Solange on my first album, just to establish Solange's sound, just to establish Solange's personality. And when you have all these people on your record, it kind of confuses that."

Solange, who has danced with Destiny's Child and introduced them on last year's TRL Tour, is definitely the star of Solo Star. Of the 15 songs on the album, she co-wrote eight of them.

"I'm open to working with other writers and stuff, but I think I create my own sound when it's just me," Solange said. "A lot of writers, you know, they don't even have enough time to spend with me and to really get a feel for me, so it turns out sounding like Destiny's Child, and I have to do the whole song over."

Solange said her songs are about life from a 15-year-old's perspective, but not what you might expect.

"Every teenage artist out there is mostly talking about boys, and I think there's so much to being a teenager than just boys," she said. "I have songs about just encouraging yourself. It's so sad, actually, how teachers and parents tell their kids, 'You're never gonna be anything.' And I have a song about that, because I know how that feels. Teachers have done that to me. It's just a song saying, 'If you've been battered on, if you've been hated on, then this song is for you.' "

Solo Star is not due until summer, but you may have already heard — or at least seen — Solange. She and Destiny's Child sing the theme song for the Disney Channel's "The Proud Family," her "Solo Star" was featured on last fall's "Osmosis Jones" soundtrack and she appeared in Lil' Bow Wow's video for "Puppy Love."

"Solo Star" marked Solange's first time recording in a studio and the experience convinced her to play more of a role in the production of her album.

"It was really hard for me just having somebody to tell me how to sing," Solange said. "So from that point on, I was like, 'I've gotta learn how to arrange and produce my own music, 'cause this is too hard for me.' I've been writing since I was like 10, learning and just sitting in the studios and watching my sister. If you be quiet and listen sometimes, you can actually learn a lot."

Solange is also turning to her sister for help on the biggest challenge surrounding Solo Star — choosing the first single.

"I think their first single, 'No, No, No,' was so wonderful," she said. "It was just one of those songs that no matter what kind of music you listen to, you had to love it. And I know they know what a first single should be. I mean, they've had eight #1 singles, so, I definitely asked her."

The Young Pop Power Tour dates, according to Columbia Records:

• 3/19 - Lakewood, CA @ Lakewood Center Mall
• 3/20 - Newark, CA @ New Park Mall
• 3/22 - Lynnwood, WA @ Alderwood Mall
• 4/16 - Saugus, MA @ Square One Mall
• 4/17 - Columbia, MD @ The Mall in Columbia
• 4/20 - Alpharetta, GA @ North Point Mall
• 4/21 - Miami, FL @ International Mall

- By Corey Moss, with additional reporting by Shari Scorca

March 18, 2002

Neptunes Begin Next N.E.R.D. LP, Shoot Pervy Video

Last week, it was the same old, same old with the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo.

Much as we've heard for the past year, they had either just finished working with or were getting ready to go in the studio with some of music's top names, Snoop Dogg, Noreaga and Nelly among them (they also have five songs with LL Cool J in the can, including his album's first single, "Love You Better"), and they were still awaiting the release of their In Search Of ... album as part of the trio N.E.R.D.

The group was also positive that the LP was getting ready to drop. But they've been "sure" about the many other release dates the album has had since January 2001, yet each time the date was pushed back. However, this go-around the guys must've been spending extensive time on the phone with self-proclaimed psychic Miss Cleo, because the album was in fact finally released on March 12.

"We're excited, it's a dream come true," said Shay, the third member of N.E.R.D., about the record finally dropping. Being relegated to bench-warming status during their turn as artists hasn't soured the Neptunes — they're two songs deep into their second N.E.R.D. album (once again they'll use live instrumentation) and describe their new material as delivering the final touches to a framework that was created with In Search Of ...

Aside from Pharrell turning up here and there to sing on "Pass the Courvoisier Part 2" with Busta Rhymes and P. Diddy, don't expect to see any N.E.R.D. performances — they'll be holding it down in the studio.

"We kind of did this [album] for fun," Hugo said. "We don't consider ourselves a rock band. Call it what you wanna call it, we're kind of an organization promoting a movement. We're opium, drugs for your ears. It's like a concept. You may see us in magazines and on TV, but we don't consider ourselves a rock band, a tour band. First and foremost the studio is our rock stage."

They did stick their heads out, just long enough to shoot the video for "Rock Star" last week.

"We have a lot of [guest appearances] in it, [like] Randy Quaid and B-Real," Shay disclosed.

"We kind of took it back to 'Porky's,' 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High,' " Hugo chimed in.

"We are reliving our high school memories," Shay continued. "All the little perverted and crazy acts we used to do in high school, we reliving it."

- By Shaheem Reid

Ms. Jade Gives Up Hustling, Hair School For Timbaland's Beat Club

If you think that your favorite artists are sitting around the studio sharing cheese fries and downing sodas while they work on collaborations, you have another thing coming. When somebody makes a cameo appearance on another performer's song, most of the time the two parties aren't even in the same state.

Such was the case for Timbaland/Missy Elliott protégé Ms. Jade and Nelly Furtado. Although they've appeared on two songs together, the two first crossed paths last week when Jade made a surprise appearance at Furtado's New York show.

"[That] was my first time meeting her," Jade said the night after the concert. "She's on my album and I'm on her album. She's real cool. Not stuck up at all. I dig that about her."

Jade was also digging how the crowd at the Hammerstein Ballroom received her as she performed her lyrics from the "Turn Out the Lights" remix. She must have made a good impression, as the rapper has now been tapped to open for Furtado on her spring tour.

Jade, who's signed to Timbaland's Beat Club imprint, has been dreaming of spitting for crowds ever since she was a young buck coming up in Philly with fellow puppy-powered line throwers like State Property's Chris and Neef, who lived two blocks down from her.

"I was working everywhere," she said of her time before she was discovered. "The Gap, Express, Old Navy. I was selling fake pocketbooks. I was hustling."

She stopped struggling with odd jobs long enough to go to hair school, where she would cultivate her craft while she was supposed to be hooking up her customers' dos. "I'm getting in trouble for writing when I'm supposed to be doing something else," she recalled, "but the rhymes was pulling me close, like, 'This is what I want to do.' " After she graduated, finding ways to break into the rap game became her full-time gig.

"I didn't want a job anymore," Jade remembered. "I said, 'I'm 'a make it or die trying.' I would be on the corners, bus stops, ball games — wherever people was spitting at, I was there. I would leave 16 bars on people's 2ways and answering machines. I'd be the last chick standing most of the time, battling cats. That was my favorite part of the game, just being hungry."

That hunger was satiated when she met Missy Elliott a couple of years ago in a studio after being introduced by an executive at Elektra Records. "I spit for Missy," she recalled. "Missy turned around, called Tim, like, 'Listen to this.' I'm spitting for Tim over the speakerphone. Then it was on. I went out to L.A. for about three weeks, and it was everybody in the studio working. It was Ginuwine, Tweet, Missy, me, Tim. It was like, I'm the new rookie to everything."

Being the new jack to the crew meant learning how to ride Tim's roller coaster-like production. Jade couldn't quite get the hang of it at first.

"Tim put his beats on and I start writing, he was like, ['Nah']," she said, giggling. "I was like, 'What?' I know my thing is tight. He was like, 'Look, you're not on beat.' I was used to rapping a certain way. He had to sit there and show me.

"One day we were driving in the car. He came and picked me up and was like, 'Listen.' He just taught me how to listen to the drum and listen to everything. He taught me how to flow."

She needed every bit of that tutelage for her late spring release, Girl Interrupted, as she had some pretty hefty guest stars jumping on tracks with her. Besides Furtado on "Ching, Ching, Ching" (which she'll shoot her first video for in the next few weeks), Bubba Sparxxx, Petey Pablo and Lil' Mo also checked in, as did Jay-Z on "Count It Off."

"That song is showing the flow," Jade said of the collaboration. "It's a cute party song. To me, it's showing I can keep up with him. He's not stepping on my toes."

Her current single, "Feel the Girl," has hit the underground to get everybody ready for the full album.

" 'Feel the girl' was in the hook, and the song made you feel it," Jade said of the cut's title. "The song is basically me introducing myself to the rap game, basically showing you how I get down. What me and my girls deal with, how I deal with certain situations."

- By Shaheem Reid

March 15, 2002

Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, Other Hip-Hop Legends Turn Out For Hall Of Fame Induction

What do you call the group of people who influenced old-school hip-hop pioneers? Probably the First School. Hip-hop trailblazers Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, Run-DMC's DJ Jam Master Jay, Crazy Legs and some of the people who inspired them in their youth were all present Wednesday night at the Puck Building for the inaugural Hip-Hop Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

"It's an honor, kid," one of the honorees, Slick Rick, said before the ceremony. "I finally get a little recognition, it can't hurt. When I was growing up, I never thought we would be so close to the root of this whole thing. It's an honor, a great feeling to be part of something that made history and see it spread. [Hip-hop] is taking over big time."

Prior to the ceremony, it felt as if the Puck Building were full of living pin-ups from an old issue of Right On! or Word Up! magazine from the mid-to-late '80s. Luminaries such as Grandmaster Caz, Grandmaster Flash, Roxanne Shante, U.T.F.O.'s Kangol Kid, the Real Roxanne and Special Ed all spoke on their origins in rap.

There were a few friendly disputes as to which year certain things happened, who originated the term "hip-hop" and who came first, the break dancer, the MC or the DJ. The highlight, however, was a brief catty exchange between Roxanne Shante and the Real Roxanne as they told of how their beef on wax started.

"I never worried about what other people were doing," Shante said. "That's why I was able to last and the other Roxannes faded away."

Unfortunately, many of the Hall of Fame's first 15 inductees, including the father of hip-hop DJ Kool Herc, LL Cool J, Salt-N-Pepa, Queen Latifah, Afrika Bambaataa, KRS-One and Russell Simmons, were absent from the proceedings. Deceased MCs Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur and late graffiti great Dondi were also among the inductees.

Those who were there took their time in the spotlight to salute those who made them want to choose their career paths. "In the early '70s I decided to sacrifice my teenage years," Grandmaster Flash said in his acceptance speech about beginning his life as a DJ. He credited DJ Kool Herc as his greatest influence. "After 27 years — the first [year] didn't count 'cause nobody was understanding me — I guess I wasn't so crazy after all, 'cause you people [get it]. This one's for us."

Doug E. Fresh took that one-for-all motif to heart when he was officially inducted. "I cannot accept this award," Fresh told the audience. "This award has to go to my brotha Busy Bee. Because I'm a legend, but this is the muthaf---in' man, the Chief Rocker. I can't get an award like this first. I'll get mine last. As a kid watching him, you don't understand what this man did for me and my family, so I'm telling you, my brotha, that's from me to you."

Jam Master Jay didn't give up his award when he accepted it on behalf on his group Run-DMC, but he did give props to Russell Simmons for helping them with their image, Grandmaster Flash for inspiring him to spin records, and the Cold Crush Brothers for giving Run and DMC ideas on how to rock the mic.

"Everybody says 'if it wasn't for you cats,' but we know that's bullsh-- because we know there was cats before us," Jay said. "We just was the people that were able to put the real beats from the street — which y'all brothers was doing — and put it on TV, let people hear it on wax. It had to be Sugar Hill Gang to bite off my man Grandmaster Caz. It had to be a Puff Daddy to bite off of the Sugar Hill Gang. It goes around in circles."

Organizers of the event said they are currently trying to secure a location for the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame museum.

The Hip-Hop Hall of Fame is part of the Hip-Hop Super Conference & Expo, which is taking place at the Puck Building through the rest of the week, and is the brainchild of David Olu. Olu, who lectures about the culture around the world and created the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame board game two years ago, said the inductees were chosen by people voting at the Web site www.hhsc2002.com the past few months. Notorious B.I.G. was the favorite, getting 60 percent of the nods.

- By Shaheem Reid

Prince Buys Palace for Secret Bride?

Maybe we should start calling him the Artist Formerly Known as the Artist Who Hates Contracts.

Prince has over the years tossed aside his name, the symbol replacing his name, his recording contracts and a marriage all to sever himself from those earthly ties that bind.

Has he suddenly had a change of heart?

According to several reports, the reclusive rocker has secretly married a former employee 18 years his junior and bought a house for them in Toronto.

Despite ending his three-year marriage to dancer Mayte Garcia because he said he did not believe in the "social conventions" of a marriage contract, Prince reportedly tied the knot on New Year's Eve with Manuela Testolini, a 25-year-old Canadian from Toronto who used to work at Prince's Paisley Park Studios outside Minneapolis.

The two purportedly got married on the sly in a small Jehovah's Witness ceremony in Hawaii.

Flying even further from his previous condemnations of business formalities, the couple has, according to Toronto's National Post, purchased a $3.5 million mansion in one of the city's richest neighborhoods. Prince's bride has a new home on the Bridle Path.

Land registry records uncovered by the newspaper indicate the sprawling, secluded home was bought by a company called Gamillah Holdings, whose president just happens to be Testolini.

While it doesn't appear that Prince is ready to abandon his headquarters at Paisley Park, the alleged new home does have its advantages. The estate lies on a quiet, curving street called the Bridle Path, which gives the area its name. Dotted by huge mansions and towering trees, the area is a short drive from downtown Toronto and is a preferred neighborhood for the city's corporate elite.

Prince's spokeswoman, Jessica Brenner of Susan Blond Inc., could not confirm the reports of his marriage and house-hunting. "He doesn't tell me anything personally related," she says.

If the reports are true, this would mark the second marriage for the eccentric 43-year-old rocker, whose full name is Prince Roger Nelson. He and Garcia married in 1996 and dissolved their union in 1998 in what he called a symbolic gesture. ("Mayte and I are joined for life," he said at the time, "and the best way to demonstrate it is to do away with the legal bonds that people demand.")

Following a re-commitment ceremony in 1999, it is believed they split for good in 2000 (about the same time Prince went back to using his name)--although reps for the fiercely private singer wouldn't confirm it.

During their union, they had a son who died soon after birth of a rare bone disorder.

As for Prince's latest coupling, there is no word on when he and Testolini might take up residence in Toronto. The Post reports renovation work is underway and Gamillah Holdings, after handing over a down payment of about $900,000, has been making its mortgage payments since January 1.

If and when he heads north, Prince will join a number of well-known Americans who have taken up residence in and around Toronto. They include: Lucy Johnson, the daughter of former U.S. president Lyndon Johnson, and cottagers Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn.

- By Barry Brown

March 14, 2002

Roots Look To Grow On 'Most Aggressive' Album Yet

Although the Roots have always been recognized for their originality, drummer ?uestlove says the band's records have actually been formulaic.

"I had a formula that I followed for the last five records," he admitted. "I did my three songs in a row, my jazz filler, my strong beginning of the second record, my guest spot, the slow song, the fast song, and then the poem."

But on Phrenology, due this summer, all of that is about to change.

"[We're not making] radical changes and not doing anything to be deep, even though you could probably take us calling the album Phrenology as us trying to be deep. But at least we didn't call the record Da Next Level or 2003 or one of those rap titles," ?uestlove said with a laugh.

"Of course, being that [phrenology] is the study of the brain, we figure that we're going to address more topics, something that we rarely do on other Roots albums," he continued. "This is probably the album in which [Black Thought] has gone full-speed ahead on subject matters like sex in advertising, drug abuse, the state of the world, stuff that he rarely touches upon. So this [album] is much more than our average 17 freestyles and the one token love song at the end of side two." As if 18 tracks guided by a clearly defined mission is a common occurrence in hip-hop records these days. Considering their refreshing high standards have impressed and surprised listeners in the past, it shouldn't surprise anyone if the Roots are able to do the same thing by departing from their typical atypicality.

To come up with all the changes that fans can expect, ?uestlove took out a legal pad and wrote down a list of things the Roots haven't done on record yet. How might the Roots reinvent themselves? ... ?uestlove counted the ways: "We haven't done any songs over 100 beats per minute, we haven't done a song totally Fender Rhodes-free, we've never outright sampled other stuff, we've never addressed personal issues, never did a short album, we've never worked with other poets, we've never experimented with electric guitars.

"Once I got to observation 15, it just became about how can we make an album that is totally us and somehow incorporate at least half of that list. As a result, Phrenology is our fastest, shortest, most aggressive album."

"My initial goal was that I wanted to do an album that was sonically closer to a Public Enemy record — a sonic assault," ?uest said. "As a result, 'Thought at Work' is one of the first songs I worked on."

"Thought at Work," the first single, is an homage to Kool G Rap & DJ Polo's "Men at Work," off 1989's Road to the Riches.

" 'Men at Work' was the song that kind of brought me and [Black Thought] together in high school. We were just flabbergasted when we heard it. [Black Thought] memorized that rhyme in one day and then performed it the next day in school. It's Kool G Rap rhyming the speed of a cheetah on speed running from the cops in a Lamborghini. So 'Men at Work' has always been our theme."

In the spirit of change, Phrenology serves to introduce fans to an expanded circle of collaborators. Except for Talib Kweli, none of the expected cast of characters will make guest appearances on the album. In place of Mos Def, Common, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu and others, Project Pat, Nelly Furtado and another still-undetermined female vocalist will be featured.

"Rock You" is an aggressive, hip-hop version of Queen's pump-up anthem "We Will Rock You." "Quills" brings back a more familiar Roots sound, with a borrowed hook from Swing Out Sister's "Breakout."

The starkest example of the Roots' transformation is on a track titled "Water." ?uest described the haunting, epic song as being about "our cry to our brother to get his life together," sidestepping around saying whether the lyrics are directed at former bandmate Malik B. by adding, "I think that's as much as I can say. And I don't think it's being cryptic, it's being straight to the point."

The song was partially inspired by a scene in Spike Lee's "Jungle Fever" in which Wesley Snipes' character is walking through Harlem looking for his brother, played by Samuel L. Jackson. "It's like a six-minute uncut walk through hell. It just made you feel dirty. I wanted to do the audio version of that, which is probably the most personal thing I've ever had to do." ?uest explained. "We all have our vices, so I don't want 'Water' to seem like, here, on one side of this fence are five very perfect individuals and on the other side of the fence is the flawed individual whom we're preaching to.

"I feel kind of dirty exploiting it," ?uest continued, "but I'm really all about just educating people and showing them what goes on with us and even if it's with the Web site (www.okayplayer.com), diaries I keep, problems that we go through. I think it's important to show that all isn't jazzy and mellow with the Roots and that we ain't always lighting incense and patchouli oil."

Dismantling the perception that the Roots are hippie bohemians has always been a challenge for the group, ?uest said. "I'm tired of arguing. How do you say you're not conscious? Like, are we unconscious? I'm just being what I am. I'm not a crack dealer, so I can't talk about days of dealing in the projects. But I think I have a relevant voice in hip-hop. It's not suburbia 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air' hip-hop, but it's not Straight Outta Compton hip-hop either. It's just the hip-hop that I'm accustomed to and that I'm true to."

- By Abbey Goodman

Ja Rule, Roots, Fat Joe Offer 'Urban Aid'

The lineup for the April 9 UrbanAID 2 benefit concert at New York's Beacon Theatre continues to grow with the addition of Ja Rule, the Roots, Fat Joe, Ashanti, and Musiq (formerly Musiq Souldchild) to the bill. R. Kelly, however, has dropped out of the show, will also feature Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, and P. Diddy. Comedian Jamie Foxx will host.

The event, organized by LIFEbeat, is being co-chaired by Def Jam founder Russell Simmons and P. Diddy. Black Entertainment Television (BET) will tape the show for future broadcast on the cable channel.

Tickets for UrbanAID 2 go on sale Friday (March 15) via Ticketmaster and the Beacon Theatre box office for $125, $100, $75, and $50. A small number of $250 benefactor tickets are available directly through LIFEbeat by calling 212-965-8900. 

- By Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

March 13, 2002

Nas Brings A-Game, Sets Battles (Mostly) Aside In Philly

For artists, there's nothing more important than having fans' ears attentive on what they have to say. Right now, Nas is taking full advantage of the ears focused on him. He speaks against injustice, and on his Stillmatic tour, the messages he's been spreading are to follow your dreams, to unite with your brother, and to understand the importance of representing "hip-hop in its purest form."

"Once I hit the stage, I just feel it on another level where I know a lot of artists can't even see me on," he said Wednesday night in Poughkeepsie, New York, weary from just leaving the stage at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center. Nas is most proud not only that he has the focus of the ears, but that he's also still a viable part of hip-hop almost a decade after he dropped his debut LP, Illmatic.

"When I realize how long I've been in the game and I realize my lasting power when I'm onstage, when I'm singing records that were out rocking before a lot of dudes even got in the game, it's definitely opened me up to performing more."

But not that night. It was just past 10 p.m., and Nas was exhausted after performing for an hour. All he wanted to do was hit the hotel and watch TV.

"Man, I'll tell you what, if it was like last night and I had to perform two shows, I don't think I could make it," he said to his manager before leaving the venue.

Three days later at Philadelphia's Electric Factory, Nas was like a new person, energized and amped right before the 10 p.m. start time. He knew he was going to have his A-game. Philly's a tough crowd to perform for as it is, and they don't take kindly to attacks on their own. In addition to going at Jay-Z and members of the Roc-A-Fella camp — the Roc's Beanie Sigel-led State Property group are all from Philadelphia — Nas has also had words for hometown heroes the Roots in the past few weeks.

On this Saturday night, however, the Philly crowd was oblivious to any battles, at least for most of the show. They wanted only to hear revelations from rap's onetime self-proclaimed prophet, Nastradamus.

The first lesson: Prepare for war. "Yo, I'm livin' in this time behind enemy lines," he started rhyming on the show's opener, "Got Ur Self A ... "

After telling everyone how soft Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit were on the song, he took a break to prepare the audience. "We going back to hip-hop tonight, y'all," he said. "I'm a old-school n---a. This is what it's about, two turntables and a mic."

From Stillmatic to Illmatic he went with the next cut, "Represent." Before the show, Nas said that he's shocked by the reception it gets. "It brings people from the old album to the new, right there live onstage. When I see people with it, I'm like, 'wow.' "

From there it was medley of consisting of a verse a piece from "One Love," which he dedicated to imprisoned rapper Shyne, "The World Is Yours" and "Street Dreams." "If I Ruled the World" followed, with the female spectators filling in for the song's guest star, Lauryn Hill. "If I ruled the world/ I'd free all my sons/ I love 'em, love 'em/ Love 'em, baby ... "

The love turned to aversion with a furious rendition of "Hate Me Now," which went out to all the haters. The party songs "You Owe Me" and "Oochie Wally" put the ladies back in call-and-response mode as they sang and danced, but things came to screeching halt as the DJ cued up the "wrong" song after "Smokin'."

"It's the hard knock life for us/ It's the hard knock life for us," a young girl's voice sang, garnering chuckles from the crowd. "What the f--- is that?" Nas asked his crew, the Bravehearts, who were onstage with him. "This is real hip-hop in here tonight," he exclaimed before the opening sample from "Ether" came on.

"F--- Jay-Z," went the sinister looped voice, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

As the crowd helped Nas out on the chorus, screaming, "I Will. Not. Lose," the audience bobbed their heads waved their arms to every syllable, chopping down like axes.

Nas was so caught up in the song, he didn't even notice that he began rapping his words from the second verse at what was supposed to be the start of the third verse. After a pause, he finished a cappella, with everyone chanting in unison: "R-O-C get gunned up and clapped quick/ J.J. Evans get gunned up and clapped quick/ Your whole damn record label gunned up and clapped quick/ Shawn Carter to Jay-Z, damn you on Jaz di--."

"We did the battle thing, but it's not about fighting with my brother," Nas told the crowd before his finale. "I would never try to kill my own brother. ... The mic is my weapon, not a gun."

This set up his current single, "One Mic." With the stage totally dark, a spotlight shined on Nas as he began rapping on his knees, as if he was praying. As the tempo of the song picked up, he gradually rose to his feet before pumping his fist and screaming, almost like the rebels in the video.

"I really just started putting a lot of emotions into my records recently," Nas said, "like with my last, maybe, three albums on different songs. 'One Mic,' that's dealing with what's in my soul and what's hurting and how I'm just a survivor. All I need is one mic.

"It just starts off slow," he said of his performance, "and then I just can't take it and I break fool, so what happens is onstage; the audience goes through that whole experience with me.

"[When] I perform 'One Mic,' the only thing that I'm concerned is not falling off the stage," he added. "Every chance I get, I try to look and see if I'm too close to the edge, 'cause I can't see nothing else. I'm enjoying the song so much — I hope people can enjoy it with me. I hope that I'm not alone in this, and then sometimes I open my eyes and I see people with it, and that's cool. That's a good feeling."

- By Shaheem Reid

Nappy Roots, Course Of Nature Join 'WB On Tour'

Atlantic labelmates Nappy Roots and Course Of Nature will head out on the road accompanying the WB On Tour, a 10-city trek that to promote various shows on the television network. The cross-country jaunt is set to launch April 1 in Los Angeles and wrap April 18 in Atlanta.

Jamie Kennedy of the comedy series "JKX: The Jamie Kennedy Experiment" and Oliver Hudson of "My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star" will be among the WB actors along for the tour, which is being presented by 1-800-COLLECT. Each city's event will feature performances by the two bands and screenings of WB shows, as well as games and prizes.

In addition to Nappy Roots and Course Of Nature, the L.A. kick off event will feature a performance by Left Of Zed. The local band is fronted by John Cho, who stars in the WB series "Off Centre."

To join the trek, Course Of Nature will jump off of its ongoing club tour, which plays Omaha, Neb., tonight (March 8), and will wrap March 28 in Lubbock, Texas. The band is out in support of the just-released Lava/Atlantic set "Superkala," which debuted this week at No. 166 on The Billboard 200. First single "Caught in the Sun" is No. 13 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and No. 24 on the Modern Rock Tracks tally.

Following the WB tour, the Alabama-based act has three dates scheduled: April 21 in the Woodlands, Texas, with Puddle Of Mudd, Sum 41, Unwritten Law, Adema, and Mest; April 23 in Pelham, Ala., with Custom; and then April 26 at Miami's Zeta Bonzai 2002 festival. Sponsored by local radio outlet WZTA, that show will feature more than 15 acts, including Kid Rock, Rob Zombie, and Sevendust.

The WB tour is the first by Kentucky-based hip-hop act Nappy Roots in support of its debut Atlantic album, "Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz." The set debuted this week at No. 3 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 31 on The Billboard 200. First single "Awnaw" is steadily moving up the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, where it is currently No. 53 (the cut is also No. 93 on The Billboard 200).

In other news, Atlantic is sponsoring a "Ballin' on a Budget" contest, where students are encouraged to submit a video interpretation of "Awnaw." The winner of the contest -- which is open through March 31 -- will receive $1,000, while the winner's school will get an additional $500. For details, and a free download of the track, visit Nappy Roots official Web site (http://nappyroots.com).

Here are the dates for the WB On Tour:

• April 1: Los Angeles (Key Club)
• April 3: Tucson, Ariz. (Rialto)
• April 4: Las Vegas (the Joint)
• April 5: Boulder, Colo. (Foundry Cafe)
• April 8: Chicago (Cubby Bear)
• April 11: Washington, D.C. (Dream)
• April 12: Philadelphia (Electric Factory)
• April 14: Boston (Karma)
• April 16: Raleigh, N.C. (Lincoln Theater)
• April 18: Atlanta (Coca-Cola Roxy) 

- By Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.

March 12, 2002

New York Hosts Hip-Hop Gathering

The Notorious BIG, Tupac, Run DMC, Salt 'n' Pepa, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaata, Slick Rick and Queen Latifah are among a host of rappers who will be inducted into the first Hip-Hop Hall of fame today.

The Hip-Hop Super Conference, which runs from March 12 through to March 15 in New York will also add DJ Kool Herc, legendary beat-boxer Doug E Fresh, Def Jam Records' founder Russell Simmons and The Rock Steady Crew's Crazy Legs unto the list.

Over 100 panels of discussion will debate rap music's 'cultural and sociological' impact during the three-day event.

'Hip-Hop Is History': Tommy Boy Records Unloads Rap Acts

Rumors of Tommy Boy's demise, it seems, have been exaggerated.

"We just opened the new doors at Tommy Boy on Monday," label founder Tom Silverman said on Thursday. However, the company — which was built largely on the strength of hip-hop acts such as De La Soul, Naughty By Nature, Digital Underground and Coolio — has sold most of its sonic assets and is shifting its focus to its other strength, dance music.

Warner Music Group, Tommy Boy's longtime partner, acquired the 21-year-old label's recorded music and music publishing catalogs for a little over $10 million, along with the majority of its hip-hop roster: De La Soul and Prince Paul are going to Elektra, while Tony Touch, Coo Coo Cal and Everlast are headed to Warner Bros.

"It was either buy or sell for either party," Silverman explained. "Based on the economy and where we were and where Warner was and where the contract was, it worked out best for us if we sell. When I did that, they bought the company, but they left me the name and some of the artists. We're taking all the dance acts and [Memphis MC] Indo."

Amber, Thunderpuss and Masters at Work are among the dance artists who'll stay under the Tommy Boy banner, while Silverman will remain Tommy Boy's CEO. Despite the multimillion-dollar payoff, he couldn't retire from the music biz — it's in his blood.

"I love it too much," he explained. "That's what I'm into. It's what I've been doing for 22 years. It's what I really like to do. The hip-hop business really changed and became very expensive and risky and not as profitable. I saw that coming a while back, so I created a company that's much smaller, under 20 people. We can make money selling 125,000 records or less. We can make money selling 50,000 records if we're real careful about our spending. With a small company, we can be more creative and have more fun and not be caught up in bureaucracy."

Although he's frustrated at what he calls a stale time in rap, he's hoping to once again break a superstar act but is going to be "very selective" in his search.

"I'm still interested in hip-hop, but I want the next sh--," he said. "I want something that's gonna take it somewhere fresh if I'm gonna get behind it. I can't compete with Def Jam, it doesn't make sense. That's a no-win game."

At one point, Silverman could not lose, putting out records by acts such as hip-hop godfather Afrika Bambaataa and Stetsasonic in the mid '80s. But it was his late 80's and early 90's run that put Tommy Boy in the annals: Naughty By Nature, Queen Latifah, Coolio, House of Pain and Digital Undergound were all introduced to the world by Silverman.

"I think Tommy Boy is a hip-hop icon in itself," Naughty's Vinnie said of the label. "They were groundbreaking and one of the first labels to step up for hip-hop like that. Coolio, Digital Underground, all of them, it was all love [between us]. It wasn't a cutthroat kind of thing. We were fighting for each other, because it was an intimate situation."

"We were hip-hop history, and unfortunately a lot of hip-hop is history at this point," Silverman said. "I'm interested in hip-hop only if it can reinvent the future, not if it's a reflection of the past. Much of the hip-hop that's out there right now is closer to what mainstream R&B was in 1981 — when we started — than the true essence of hip-hop."

- By Shaheem Reid

March 11, 2002

Biggie, Tupac Among First To Enter Hip-Hop Hall Of Fame

Late heroes Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur are among the icons of hip-hop culture who'll be honored at the inaugural Hip-Hop Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Afrika Bambaataa, LL Cool J, Queen Latifah, Run-D.M.C., KRS-One, Salt-n-Pepa, Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh also made the cut, along with legendary breakdancer Crazy Legs, DJs Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash, rap mogul Russell Simmons, and graffiti artist Dondi.

The honors will be bestowed at New York's Puck Building on Wednesday, the opening day of the Hip-Hop Super Conference and Expo. The conference runs through Friday and will feature more than 100 panel discussions on hip-hop culture. Mos Def, Rah Digga and New York Knicks all-star Allan Houston are among the scheduled speakers, organizers said

- By Shaheem Reid

Three Stabbed At Bubba Sparxxx Birthday Bash

Three men were assaulted and stabbed at a birthday party for rapper Bubba Sparxxx at an Athens, Georgia, club early Wednesday morning. The stabbings, which occurred in three separate incidents, left one man in critical condition.

Following the party dubbed "Bubba Sparxxx's Birthday Bash," 32-year-old Eric Diamond McAnally, manager for Nashville rapper Haystack, was jumped by four or five men after leaving the Athens Music Factory around 2:10 a.m. Wednesday, and stabbed twice, in the back and side, with an unknown object, according to a police department spokesperson. McAnally was taken to Athens Regional Medical Center, where he was in critical condition Wednesday and released Thursday (March 7), according to a hospital spokesperson. The Athens Banner-Herald reported Thursday that the weapon was a broken beer bottle.

The paper also stated that a witness told police that McAnally, who is white, and a black woman accompanying him to the party were harassed and sprayed with champagne while in the club.

Sparxxx (born Warren Anderson Mathis), who turned 25 and hails from LaGrange, Georgia, was in attendance, along with fellow rappers Petey Pablo, 8Ball and members of the Dungeon Family, according to club owner Eyal Reisin. Def Jam and Interscope Records executives attended the party as well.

The two other men who were assaulted sustained less severe injuries, and were released from St. Mary's Hospital after receiving treatment. Thomas Corey Leyva was stabbed in the abdomen while fighting with a man who groped his female companion, according to police. Reisin said he saw the man bleeding in the club, but he did not see a physical altercation. Police responded to that call around 1:20 a.m.

A little more than two hours later, Arthur William Smotherman told police while in the hospital that he, too, was ambushed, by approximately 20 men. The 24-year-old artist-relations manager for Nashville's Dirty Bird Records was stabbed once in the chest, possibly with a knife.

A police investigation is underway, but an arrest has yet to be made.

Interscope Records spokespeople did not return calls by press time.

- By Joe D'Angelo

March 8, 2002

Ice Cube Keeps The Laughs Rolling In All About The Benjamins

Buying rapper-producer turned actor Ice Cube as anything more than a streetwise badass with a knack for one-liners (see Ghost of Mars, Anaconda) is a stretch by anyone's imagination.

Roles like the one he had in Friday, where Ice Cube is only partially acting, are the types in which he excels, and All About the Benjamins, which opens Friday (March 8), is one such occasion.

Starring Cube as Bucum Jackson (get it?), a renegade bounty hunter with a passion for $600 fish, the action-packed flick sucks you in from the get-go. The film opens in the Florida Everglades with Ice Cube tracking down a trailer-trash criminal (Anthony Michael Hall) who -- expectantly -- isn't too keen on going to jail. As it turns out, his girlfriend and mother aren't too keen on bidding him farewell, either.

Shots are fired in a hilarious, fast-paced scene that sets the tone of the film as part action-comedy, part music video (the soundtrack bumps with Puff Daddy's "All About the Benjamins" remix). Cube escapes with his life, but grows more and more impassioned with his job and the money he's making. He dreams of starting his own private investigation firm.

Enter Reggie Wright (Mike Epps), a two-bit con man who is "allergic to the judicial system" and specializes in scamming convenience store clerks with the help of senior citizens. Reunited with Cube for the first time since the duo stole the show in 2000's Next Friday, Epps takes over the film. Like fellow up-and-comer Seann William Scott, Epps breathes hilarity without even opening his mouth.

Reluctantly, Cube takes on Epps -- wanted on a small-time warrant -- as his next case. Meanwhile, Epps has scammed another store and purchased a lottery ticket in the meantime, dreaming of the $60 million jackpot. He puts the ticket in his wallet, and you know there is gonna be trouble.

While on the run from Cube, Epps gets mixed up in a $20 million diamond heist gone wrong. The fumbling criminal ends up accidentally hiding out in the bandits' getaway car where -- you guessed it -- he loses his wallet with -- you guessed it again -- the now winning lottery ticket.

So the plot is set with Epps trying to convince Cube to forget the bounty on him and partner up in search of his wallet and the $60 million jackpot. Cube thinks Epps is full of it, however, and is more interested in getting to the bottom of the diamond heist and, hopefully, the diamonds themselves.

What ensues is pure fun fueled by Epps' improvisational humor and the same on-screen Laurel and Hardy act between he and Cube that kept the laughs rolling in Next Friday. Throw in a few beautiful babies (Epps' girlfriend, played by the jaw-dropping Eva Mendes, and Cube's co-worker, Valerie Rae Miller) and a cameo by Lil' Bow Wow (a lil' street punk hot for Mendes), and it all adds up to one hell of a good time.

The soundtrack to the film, which features music by Puff Daddy (featuring Notorious B.I.G., Lil' Kim, and the Lox), Mya, and the O-Jays, hit stores Tuesday (March 5) on New Line Records.

- By Kevin Raub

Morpheus Shutdown Shows Plug Can Be Pulled On Peer-To-Peer

If you've tried to download a song using Morpheus lately, you probably know that the most popular file-swapping software doesn't work. Although an operable preview of a new version was made available Saturday, the shuttering of Morpheus on February 26 shattered the commonly held belief that file sharing without the use of a central server couldn't be stopped.

Software like Morpheus, Kazaa and Grokster was thought to be shielded from the kind of plug-pulling that brought down Napster in July. Unlike Napster — which cataloged its available files on a central server that, if disabled, rendered the program impotent — these applications operate on a peer-to-peer system, meaning users trade files directly, without a server between them.

Even executives at StreamCast Networks, the distributors of Morpheus, believed a blackout was impossible, according to a company spokesperson. The evidence, however, suggests otherwise. Whether it's a backdoor to the application or a remote bug embedded in the code, somewhere or somehow, there seems to be a way to flip the off switch on peer-to-peer applications too.

A federal judge just might insist the switch be thrown on Morpheus, Kazaa and Grokster, since all are being sued by the Recording Industry Association of America and the Motion Picture Association of America for copyright infringement, the same charge that brought Napster to a halt. On Monday, the case went before U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Wilson, who scheduled a trial date for September 30. The defense's position is that their products, like VCRs or photocopiers, have other, legal applications and therefore, the copyright holders should look to prosecute users and not the software itself.

Since February 26, people attempting to run Morpheus software — which has been downloaded more than 51 million times, according to CNET Networks — were confronted with a pop-up message that instructed them to upgrade the application. However, no upgrade was available on the StreamCast Networks Web site. Instead there was a message from StreamCast/Morpheus CEO Steve Griffin, who said the software and its users were under attack.

The reason for the shutdown isn't completely clear. Theories ranging from competitor sabotage to StreamCast's inability to pay licensing fees to for the FastTrack peer-to-peer software employed by Morpheus.

The crippling of its competitor wasn't lost on Kazaa, which posted a note on its Web site a day after the shutdown: "Morpheus users, come on over to our place ... you'll feel quite at home." Two days later, new Kazaa software made converting from Morpheus as simple as clicking a mouse. The program interface was similar, replacing Morpheus' blue color scheme with Kazaa's lime-green one.

StreamCast's company line says the lockout resulted from a licensing disagreement with Sharman Networks, which offered an upgrade of its FastTrack software to Grokster and Kazaa, but for reasons unknown left Morpheus out of the loop, their spokesperson said.

Denied access to FastTrack, the preview of the new Morpheus uses Gnutella technology — another, albeit less popular, peer-to-peer system. When Morpheus, Grokster and Kazaa all operated on FastTrack, users could share files across the platforms. Now that Morpheus uses the Gnutella system, like the file-swapping applications LimeWire and BearShare, its pool of available songs has shrunk.

Although temporarily shaken and perhaps knocked down a peg, Morpheus isn't showing signs of rolling over yet. CEO Griffin recently announced plans for something of pay-per-play service, in which audio and video files are "wrapped" in code that requires users to execute a task, which could mean anything from paying a fee to viewing an ad, before opening the file. The new service is expected to launch in the next four weeks, a spokesperson said.

- By Joe D'Angelo

March 7, 2002

P. Diddy Settles Court Battle With Ex-Girlfriend Over Child Support

Sean "P. Diddy" Combs has finally reached a settlement in his ongoing child support battle with ex-girlfriend Kimberly Porter over their 3-year-old son, Christian Casey Combs, according to a spokesperson for Combs at Dan Klores Communications.

After failing to show up in Manhattan Family Court nine different times over the course of the case, P. Diddy finally appeared -- under threat of arrest -- on Tuesday (March 5), where he and Porter agreed on undisclosed terms for the rapper's paying of child support, health insurance, and other necessities.

Despite P. Diddy's ongoing off-the-books financial support of the child, Porter sued P. Diddy last June for paternal declaration, which would have required the rapper to shell out 17 percent of his income in child support, among other things. As a result of Tuesday's settlement, P. Diddy's undisclosed contributions are now court-ordered and the two have joint-custody of the child.

- By Kevin Raub

Carlos Santana Promises Guest-Packed, Vibrant New Album

Carlos Santana's follow-up to the hugely successful Supernatural will again feature an abundance of guest musicians, but that's about all the legendary guitarist will divulge.

"I can't tell you who or it won't be a surprise," Santana said at Clive Davis' Grammy Eve party . He did reveal, however, that none of the collaborators on his last album — which included Matchbox Twenty's Rob Thomas, Everlast and Dave Matthews, among others — have contributed to the still-untitled new album, which is about 80 percent complete. "But they might come around," he added.

Davis, who first signed Santana three decades ago and orchestrated his comeback at the turn of the century, is working with the guitarist and his namesake band on their upcoming recording, which Santana called "more vital" than Supernatural.

"It has rhythm and melody and a lot of colors and is more vibrant than the other one," Santana said. "It's just more fun."

Following up an album that won nine Grammys and scored several hits (most notably "Smooth" and "Maria Maria") might put pressure on some artists, but not Santana.

"I make it a point to clear the table and play the guitar like I have never played it before," he said. "I strip my mind from that stuff. It's just fun to have another opportunity."

A year ago, Santana announced he wanted to "dismantle violence" with his follow-up to Supernatural. Of course, after September 11, he has felt an even stronger need to make peaceful music.

"There's a saying for women that when the water breaks, the baby's got to come out," Santana said. "And the water broke [on September 11], and all of us get to usher in a new baby. It's called unity and harmony. That's the new baby, and all of us get to nurture it.

"I'm really happy I am living in this time," he added. "We get to enter a place where flags and politics and religion is not going to be important anymore. We can't go back, we have to go forward. Even though it was tragic and people gave their lives, it is the beginning of a whole new world living in harmony and unity."

Santana will launch a nine-date American tour in Tampa, Florida, on March 21. A European tour will follow and head into midsummer, when Santana hopes to release his album and return to the States for a more complete tour.

Santana tour dates, according to his spokesperson:

• 3/21 - Tampa, FL @ Ice Palace
• 3/22 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Mars Music Amphitheater
• 3/23 - Orlando, FL @ TD Waterhouse Centre
• 3/25 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena
• 3/27 - Greenville, SC @ Bi-Lo Center
• 3/29 - Raleigh, NC @ Entertainment & Sports Arena
• 3/30 - Charlotte, NC @ Charlotte Coliseum
• 4/1 - Washington, DC @ MCI Center
• 4/2- Hampton, VA @ Hampton Coliseum

- By Corey Moss

March 5, 2002

New Lauryn Hill Music Coming In Spring

After almost a year in the vault, new Lauryn Hill music is finally surfacing. A double Unplugged album will hit stores sometime this spring — her first LP since 1998's Grammy-winning The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

MTV2 will air the "Unplugged" special Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET. Taped last summer, the show features Hill singing 13 new songs she wrote and arranged. She didn't need any band to back her — she simply used an acoustic guitar, which she taught herself to play.

"When I was still with the Fugees I would pick up the guitar and I used to always say, 'Wyclef, just get out there and do that thing with the guitar,' " she explained shortly after the show. "He chose what path he chose, but interestingly enough, when God shows you a thing, we always encourage others to do what we were meant to do. But over a period of time [God] caused me to take it more seriously. He said, 'This is your accompaniment. Don't think it's going to be what you thought it was.' It's just by way of passion. How do we learn anything?

"I don't know if I taught myself," she continued. "I just evolved by way of necessity, by way of grace. [My skills] just grew, and grew and grew."

Among the songs Hill performs is "I Find It Hard to Say (Rebel)," which she wrote after hearing that New York City police officers shot and killed unarmed citizen Amadou Diallo.

"It was initially written about Diallo, and that's when I realized I was very confused," she said of the song's origins. "There was a part when I was singing 'rebel,' and this part of me is afraid — this one voice was saying, 'You can't say that,' and I was like, 'Wait a minute, it's in me to say [it].' But I think it's because I didn't understand the difference between rebellion against God and rebellion against the system that's not God. I think that I didn't understand I was meant to be a rebel, I'm a rebel in a sense that nobody's going to force me to do something against my will.

"'What do I owe anybody that I should submit my will to them?' she continued. "I mean, I'm not a fool. God teaches me about reality, so when he tells me to do something, I do something. But it's not because somebody told me to, it's because I'm led to."

A spokesperson for Columbia Records said they have no word on when to expect an in-studio album from L Boogie. However, DJ Kay Slay has an unreleased track from the singer/MC called "Little Boy" on his Streetsweepers Present Allstar Weekend Hip-Hop & R&B mixtape. On the cut, Hill sings emotionally, questioning what becomes of little boys who grow up and find their dreams won't be fulfilled. Lauryn Hill's Unplugged track list:

• "Mr. Intentional"
• "Adam Lives in Theory"
• "Oh Jerusalem"
• "War in the Mind"
• "I Find It Hard to Say (Rebel)"
• "Water"
• "I Just Want You Around"
• "Peace of Mind"
• "The Mystery of Iniquity"
• "I Get Out"
• "I Remember"
• "So Much Things to Say"
• "The Conquering Lion"

- By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Sway Calloway

C-Murder 'Vehemently Denies' Murder Charges After Indictment

Rapper C-Murder, younger brother of Master P, has "vehemently denied" the second-degree murder charges for which he was indicted in 24th Judicial Court for Jefferson Parish, La., on Thursday (Feb. 28).

The rapper was arrested in January for allegedly fatally shooting 16-year-old Steve Thomas at the Platinum Club in Harvey, La. He has not posted the $1 million bail and has been housed in the Jefferson Correctional Facility in Gretna, La., since his arrest.

In a statement released by D3 Entertainment, which distributes the rapper's (real name Corey Miller) Tru Records label, Miller's legal defense team offered the following evidence that it claims will prove its client's innocence.

"Many witnesses who were present on the night of the shooting were interviewed and have confirmed that it was not C-Murder they saw fire the gun," the statement reads. "Also, the initial reports to the police via 911 calls were that the perpetrator was unknown. In addition, the police reports from the scene stated the perpetrator was a named teenager from the West Bank [part of New Orleans].

"Miller is not a teenager, never resided on the West Bank, and is a very recognizable personality, especially in his home state of Louisiana," the statement continues. "Lastly, the first witness that claimed Miller committed the offense originally told the police a different story and identified a different person."

The statement also reports Miller plans on entering a plea of not guilty when he is arraigned in the case on Wednesday (March 6).

Unrelated attempted first-degree murder and illegal use of a weapon charges, stemming from an arrest last August, remain pending for the rapper as well.

C-Murder's upcoming release, Tru Dawgs (featuring guest appearances by Master P, Snoop Dogg, Silkk the Shocker, Da Brat, and Bizzy Bone, among others) is due April 30 on Tru Records.

- By Kevin Raub

March 4, 2002

Boyz II Men Ready for "Love"

New single, album due in spring. Boyz II Men will release their fifth album -- the first since 2000's Nathan Michael Shawn Wayna -- on June 4th. The first single, "Color of Love," hits in late April.

"We're excited about our new music," says the group's Nathan Morris, "and we can't wait to get it out to our people."

Babyface, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, as well as some lesser known producers, are among those contributing to the album. "It's a collaboration of a lot of different new producers," says Shawn Stockman. "The main names you recognize are Jimmy and Terry and Babyface, and everything else is just us feeling out new producers and trying to go with a different vibe. We like to sing soulfully and the producers that came in knew our vibe and our flavor, and they just brought to its more modern and futuristic self."

The album will be Boyz II Men's first for Arista Records. "An artist is always excited to hear the reaction to your new material after being away for a time," says Morris. "And with us being at a new environment at Arista is a whole other rebirth in itself."

As for plans beyond the album, Stockman says the group is taking a wait-and-see approach. "We want to go on tour. It all depends on if it's right. If it feels right to do it, we'll do it."

- By Steve Baltin

Michael Jackson Invests Millions In Film Company

Michael Jackson's Neverland Entertainment has invested $15 million-$20 million in Mark Damon's production and distribution company MDP Worldwide, making Jackson and his new producing partner Raju Patel major shareholders in the company. As part of the deal, MDP will operate a new division, Neverland Pictures, headed by Jackson and Patel along with key executive Lawrence Mortoff. The company plans to produce a range of projects with a focus on family films and reimaginations of classics, some of which might be directed by and/or star Jackson.

The venture was announced Sunday night during a private dinner reception at Damon's hillside Benedict Canyon home, attended by 250 guests. Making a rare appearance, Jackson showed up along with longtime friend Elizabeth Taylor and "Rush Hour" director Brett Ratner to tout the deal.

Until his arrival, it was not clear whether Jackson would show up at the event, but suddenly he appeared from a nearby dining room and entered the dinner tent to a standing ovation, arm in arm with Taylor. After making it to their thronelike chairs onstage, Jackson took to the microphone and explained his decision to invest in MDP and enter the indie film business.

"I dream great dreams," Jackson said. "Everything I've achieved started with a dream, and of all the dreams, this is the one I am most passionate about. The painter paints, the sculptor sculpts, but they just capture a glimpse of life -- of the subject. And film, this medium, you live with the protagonist, you suffer with the protagonist, you laugh with the protagonist, you despair with the protagonist. It's the most artistic, influential medium of all. I am very proud of what we're doing, and I promise you wonderful and fantastical things to come."

After his onstage appearance, the notoriously shy King of Pop elaborated in an interview about his plans for Neverland Pictures. He said he will be involved in all aspects of the company, such as reading scripts, plucking talent and directing. "I have a lot to express in film," Jackson said, revealing that his favorite movie is "To Kill a Mockingbird." "I'll be doing the whole thing, behind and in front [of the camera]. I love it."

Another movie Jackson is fond of is 1994's "The Jungle Book," which Patel produced and Damon executive produced, marking the duo's first collaboration. After seeing the movie, Jackson called Patel, who also produced "The Adventures of Pinocchio" and "The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli & Baloo," to compliment him on his work, and the two became friends.

That brought Jackson and Patel to Damon's MDP. Patel said he and Jackson chose to invest in MDP and launch Neverland under their banner to gain creative freedom outside the studio system. "Michael wants control, and that's hard to get at a studio level," he said. "He wants to be able to go straight from an idea into the marketing."

Neverland already has a slate of projects, with three of them expected to be announced shortly. Whether any of those include Jackson-directed projects is unclear, but if he's not willing to hop behind the camera so soon, his close friend Taylor is.

"I wanted to direct for quite a while," Taylor said in an interview. "I've observed and picked up so much from other directors and other actors and learned just by osmosis. I'd like to take the knowledge I've learned from them and have a go at it."

Jackson has had several previous forays into film production, more notable for their ambitious announcements than their actual output: in 1991, he signed a nonexclusive first-look deal with Columbia Pictures through his Nation Films banner. In 1993, he announced a second feature film company, Michael Jackson Productions Inc., promising to deliver movies with positive and uplifting themes.

- By Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter

March 1, 2002

Where's The Love? Jay-Z Disses Grammys Again

The Grammys weren't all that hip this year, at least in the eyes of one of hip-hop's big dogs. Although his peers P. Diddy, Eve, Lil' Kim, Nelly and Missy Elliott were attending to perform, present or compete for one of those golden record players, Jay-Z continued his boycott of the ceremony.

"I didn't think they gave the rightful respect to hip-hop," Jay told MTV News earlier this month, explaining why he has avoided the awards show since 1999 despite several nominations and a win for Best Rap Album.

"It started that they didn't nominate DMX that year," he said. "DMX had an incredible album. He didn't get a nomination. I was like, 'Nah, that's crazy.' "

Rappers have never had a love affair with the Grammys. The same year Jay started his boycott, Eminem, who won for Best New Artist, simply blew off attending the show. A decade earlier, artists like DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince (the first hip-hop act to win a Grammy), Kid 'N Play and Salt-n-Pepa boycotted because the rap category was not televised.

"What I really wanted to accomplish is, next year, or two years from now, the rappers would be able to have what I didn't have," Will Smith explained in '89.

Fat Joe says little has changed.

"I remember one year, we went there when [Big] Pun was nominated for a Grammy," Joe said. "And when we got there, we walked the red carpet with the suits and everything and we didn't even hear the category. They were like, 'They announced it earlier; they had a winner.' I don't think they acknowledge hip-hop for being the true art form that it is."

"I did go when I was nominated for a Grammy in '96," Nas said, "just to see what it was like. I didn't expect to win, but I had to go because the environment was real serious, so I went to see what that was like. After you do it you get it out of your system. You keep it moving. If I would've won that day, I'd still feel the same right now. I'm cool. I support the people who boycott because to turn my back on them wouldn't be right either. I wouldn't do it, 'cause I don't feel the need to even give them that much attention."

A few weeks ago, when it was still up in the air whether Jay would attend, his friend P. Diddy said he didn't think a boycott was necessary.

"I think he should show up," Diddy said. "He's basically made his position felt. They recognized, and now it's up to us to make sure we're seen in a proper light at the Grammys."

Obviously, Jay was not convinced. He did concede that the Grammy committee's voting was on point, though, when it came to the hip-hop categories, saying they had improved "100 percent." However, he did have one major concern.

"I really wanna see how they do as far as televising the [hip-hop] awards," he said.

This year, three of the four rap awards were handed out before the telecast. Outkast won Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Ms. Jackson," Elliot took home the Best Rap Solo Performance award for "Get Ur Freak On," and Eve and Gwen Stefani earned the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration honor for "Let Me Blow Ya Mind."

- By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Sway Calloway

Alicia Keys Earns Three Music Honors At The NAACP Image Awards

Acclaimed new singer-songwriter Alicia Keys earned three awards at the presentation of the 33rd Annual NAACP Image Awards, held Saturday February 23 at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. The show, hosted by comic actor Chris Tucker, was taped for broadcast March 1 on Fox.

Keys was named Outstanding New Artist, while her tune "A Woman's Worth" was named Outstanding Song and her debut album, Songs In A Minor, was deemed Outstanding Album. These are the first honors for the J Records artist in an awards season that also includes seven Grammy Award nominations. Other Image Awards in the recording division were presented to the late Aaliyah for her self-titled album and to rapper Ja Rule in the rap category.

Musical highlights of the awards show included the induction of rock 'n' roll pioneer Little Richard into the NAACP's Hall Of Fame for his musical contributions. The show opened with performances by Musiq, India.Arie, and Stevie Wonder. A tribute to national security advisor Condoleezza Rice featured opera singer Denyse Graves performing "An American Anthem."

The NAACP Image Awards recognizes outstanding achievements in motion pictures, television, music, and literature. Winners in other categories include Denzel Washington and Halle Berry as outstanding film actor and actress, respectively; and The Steve Harvey Show as outstanding TV comedy, with cast members Steve Harvey, Cedric "The Entertainer," and Terri J. Vaughn all earning acting awards.

The complete list of 2002 Image Award winners for recording are:

OUTSTANDING NEW ARTIST: Alicia Keys, "Fallin'"

OUTSTANDING MALE ARTIST: Luther Vandross, "Take You Out"

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ARTIST: Aaliyah, Aaliyah

OUTSTANDING DUO OR GROUP: Destiny's Child, "Survivor"

OUTSTANDING HIP-HOP RAP ARTIST: Ja Rule, "Livin' It Up"

OUTSTANDING JAZZ ARTIST: Quincy Jones, Q: The Musical Biography Of Quincy Jones

OUTSTANDING GOSPEL ARTIST, TRADITIONAL: Shirley Caesar, Hymns

OUTSTANDING GOSPEL ARTIST, CONTEMPORARY: Yolanda Adams, Believe

OUTSTANDING MUSIC VIDEO: Michael Jackson, "You Rock My World" (songwriters Michael Jackson, Rodney Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, LaShawn Daniels, and Nora Payne)

OUTSTANDING SONG: "A Woman's Worth," songwriters Alicia Keys and Erika Rose

OUTSTANDING ALBUM: Songs In A Minor, Alicia Keys