November 30, 2001

Ludacris Loves Chicken, Wants Ladies To Hush Up During The Nookie

Maybe it was because he was hungry and awaiting his Chinese take-out order, but Ludacris had food on the brain while sitting in the chair getting augmentation done to his Disturbing Tha Peace tattoo.

As the body art specialist colored in his tat, Cris, whose second LP, Word of Mouf, drops Tuesday (November 27), was mouthing off about his plans for a third album.

"The name of my third album is gonna be called Chicken and Beer," he said. "People wanna know what I'm all about, and I'm letting you know. Chicken and beer, man. That's all we consume. I mean, really not necessarily beer but all alcoholic beverages. Chicken and Beer just got a ring to it. I swear, being on the road, [I've learned there] is so many ways to cook chicken.

"You can sauté it," he continued. "You could fry it. You could broil it. Whatever, it's like no matter what I'm doing, no matter what part of the day it is, no matter what day it actually is I find myself eating all different kinds of chicken all the damn time. So I'm just letting you know, Ludacris is chicken and beer man."

Cris said his incessant schedule actually helped him when recording Word of Mouf, as he was able to tap into different cities' vibes.

"I picked up that no matter where you at in the country, there might be little differences, but everybody's pretty much the same," he explained. "It's a ghetto in every city. Everybody can relate to the struggle. Everybody can relate to havin' bad times. Everybody can relate to havin' good times. So expanding out of your region is easy as long as you know that people can relate to what you saying.

"Man, [recording] wasn't difficult at all," he continued. "It really helped me out because we were on the road so much and had to fit in other people's schedules. Like say, for instance, if Timbaland was in New York or in L.A. and we had a show out there we just be killing two birds with one stone. That's how we did the whole album. I'll probably continue to do albums like that. As long as you can do two things at once, you good."

Dual roles Cris had to play on his current album were as a commercially embraced artist and respected MC.

"I really don't feel like we're getting our just due yet," he said. "People are starting to realize the talent and the lyricists in the South. That's why I love that Uncle Scarface got that Lyricist of the Year at the Source Awards. We're opening it up more right now. Don't get me wrong, it's been lyricists in the South that the whole South can recognize but as far as the rest of the world, they just need to recognize what's going on. So I try to concentrate a lot on my lyrics - I wanna make people think. I think it's real important".

Cris, who's been known to make metaphors by referencing everything from the Muppets to Stone Cold Steve Austin's can of whupp ass, sprinkles his wit throughout the album, but gets a little more straightforward with "Keep It on the Hush."

"Basically, the song's talking about all these women when you get into the mode of foreplay and you about to get down and dirty with your girl," he said. "They're talking all this and that. It's basically like 'Man, just shut the hell up and let me do my thang. I know what I'm doing.'

"It's got a lot of live instruments in this song and it almost reminds you of church, 'cause you hear some church organs going on. It's like you preaching to her. I got a live choir in the song."

His libido is just as fervent on "Freaky Thangs," which features Twista and Jagged Edge. "Of course that's one of my main songs talking about sex and sexual activities," he said. "And Twista came off on that so hard. I always wanted to work with him. I thought we were gonna do something off the first album, but I got him on this second one. So you know it's just a perfect combination, and it's the perfect beat. It's definitely one of those songs that's gonna sell the album whether it's on the radio or not, whether it's a single or not." 

- By Shaheem Reid


Mya To Take Role In 'Chicago' Movie

Mya stays slumming when picking out her girlfriends, at least on screen. After spending time with Lil' Kim, Pink and Christina Aguilera, playing ladies of the evening in the video for "Lady Marmalade," she's now set to hang with a murderer.

The singer is currently in Toronto rehearsing with leading ladies Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renee Zellweger for her role in the big-screen adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical "Chicago."

Filming for the Miramax project starts in January, with Mya playing a vixen named Mona. The original version of "Chicago" centers around two 1920s entertainers who get involved in homicide.

Besides her movie role, 2002 will also see the release of Mya's third album, according to Interscope Records. The label is not releasing any more information on the project.

This is not the first time Mya will grace the silver screen - in 1999, she had a small role in the film "In Too Deep," which starred Omar Epps and LL Cool J. 

- By Shaheem Reid

November 29, 2001

Busta Rhymes Marks His Rebirth With Genesis

Album features three Dre-produced tracks as well as guests P. Diddy, Mary J. Blige.

Busta Rhymes celebrated a birthday on Tuesday, but it wasn't the anniversary of the day he was born. It was the day he was reborn as an MC and businessman - the day his new album hit stores.

"I named my album Genesis 'cause there was nowhere left to go after The Coming (1996), When Disaster Strikes (1997), Extinction Level Event (1998) and Anarchy (2000)," he said recently, sitting in the offices of J Records. "Sequentially it made sense to be at that point. ... The only place left to go is just rebuilding a whole brand new whatever."

Part of Busta's rebuilding involved leaving Elektra for Clive Davis' J Records. "Thinking long-term, J Records ended up being the most comfortable situation. ... And the respect of Clive Davisí legacy, I just felt like with his legacy thereís a whole lot I can learn in my time here [that] Iím gonna want to absorb and apply to my own situation."

As Busta tells it, Genesis not only marks his own new beginning, but it also acted as a vehicle for him to pay homage in his music.

" 'Truck Volume' is a joint that was just for the dudes that like to be in big vehicles," he said of the first of the disc's three Dr. Dre-produced tracks. "Get up in your pickup. Get up in your big Benz, your big Monte Carlo. Turn your system up to your highest decibel. It was a salute to them type of people."

He pays tribute to one of his favorite drinks on "Pass the Courvoisier," which features P. Diddy.

"I was looking for an endorsement deal over there, fellas," Busta said with a laugh. "In any event, me and Puff were chilling in the studio one day, and we were just kicking it about everything going on, from a business lifestyle to a personal lifestyle, and we just had cognacs in the studio. We were saluting a lot of the good things that were happening for us - he had won his trial, I'm doing my transition. 'Yo, cheers, man. Pass the Courvoisier. Let's salute to the good things happening.' "

Diddy was indirectly responsible for Mary J. Blige's guest appearance on the funky "There's Only One."

"I've always had a great vibe with her since her first solo album, What's the 411 (1992)," Busta said. "P. Diddy had me do two interludes on her album when he was executive producing her albums. We just maintained a good vibe creatively from that point on. ... Her schedule was working well with mine, and she heard the beats. She liked the idea, and she was like, 'I'm gonna come and repay you for the little love you showed me many years ago, Busta Bus. Let's just keep the growth.' "

Fond memories also provoked Busta to remake Public Enemy's "Shut 'Em Down" remix.

" 'Shut 'Em Down,' for one, I was a super huge fan of the record," he said, getting more excited. "When it came, or should I say when Pete Rock's version came out, it used to destroy everything everywhere. Whether it was in concert, whether it was you just being in a club, whether you were in your car and it came on the radio, just everybody turned into little wilder beasts.

"[Covering it] was just my tribute to hip-hop for the now era," he continued. "The now generation of hip-hop needs to understand this quality in hip-hop we don't get anymore. So for one, I did it for that. Number two, I did it as a salute to Chuck D because of how tremendously effective he was with his influences on me and my life with my career."

As he tells it, there may not have been a "Busta Rhymes" without the P.E. frontman.

"Chuck D gave me my name based on watching me perform," he said. "He said I reminded him of a football player named Buster Rhymes. I think he played for the [Minnesota] Vikings back in the '80s. He was just like, 'Yo, you seem like the football player as an MC. Just the aggressiveness and that strength that you command.' In addition to everybody asking me to bust a rhyme all the time, it just made sense.

"He helped me understand the concept of what it took to be a well-rounded artist, based on what I was around, seeing how they were handling their business. I plotted my corporate approach of how I gotta handle my business [based on Public Enemy]."

- By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Curtis Waller


Redman, Method Man Blasting Off On 'How High' Tour

Redman and Method Man are heading out on the "How High" tour next week in support of their upcoming movie and soundtrack, yet the dynamic duo are already very vocal about another potential outing.

"I hope Jay-Z starts [another] Hard Knock Life tour," said Redman, who, along with Meth, was the opening act on the 1999 multi-artist trek. "That's what I'm waiting on. Come on, Jay-Z, you got five mics in The Source magazine. Start that tour up and throw me and [Method] Man on there, 'cause you know we're blowing the spot. I don't care who you're putting on that tour - we're blowing the spot."

"I don't even mind going first, still," Meth said.

"I say do it like before, and put some more [acts] on there," Red offered. "We need DMX on there. We need Ja Rule on there. Ja Rule is huge now, so he's gonna be bringing in some cake there, too."

Roc-A-Fella Records will only confirm that Jay-Z is talking about going back on the road again; the label has no information with regard to a timetable, name or scale for the tour.

Redman and Method Man have more than enough to do in the meantime. They have four songs on the "How High" soundtrack, which comes out December 11. Their movie, which was originally slated to hit theaters on December 26, will now be released on December 21.

"How High" tour dates, according to Def Jam:
  • 12/2 - Phoenix, AZ @ Celebrity Theatre
  • 12/3 - Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
  • 12/4 - Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
  • 12/11 - Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
  • 12/12 - Minneapolis, MN @ Quest Club
  • 12/13 - Columbia, MO @ Blue Note
  • 12/14 - Detroit, MI @ State Theatre
  • 12/15 - Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre
  • 12/16 - Columbus, OH @ PromoWest Pavilion
  • 12/17 - Norfolk, VA @ The Boathouse
  • 12/19 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
  • 12/21 - Worchester, MA @ The Palladium
  • 12/22 - Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
  • 12/23 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
  • 12/26 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
  • 12/27 - Atlanta, GA @ DeKalb Atlanta Center
  • 12/28 - Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
  • 12/31 - New Orleans, LA @ TBA

November 28, 2001

Ice Cube A 'Free Agent' After 'Greatest Hits'

Rapper Ice Cube says with his Priority "Greatest Hits" set ready to hit stores Dec. 4, he now considers himself a "free agent" after 11 years with the label. "The [album] is like the end of an era," he tells Billboard for the Dec. 1, 2001, issue. "It's time for me to go with a bigger label and do the kinds of things my career deserves. When you've been with an indie and see the money that goes into an Interscope or a Def Jam, you realize there's no way to compete [at a smaller label], in terms of spending those kinds of dollars."

As previously reported, "Greatest Hits" includes such favorites as "Check Yo' Self," "Bop Gun (One Nation)," and "You Know How We Do It," alongside two new cuts: the Neptunes-produced "In the Late Night Hour" and the Rockwilder-helmed "$100 Bill Y'all." The latter song debuted at No. 81 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart last week.

"With Rockwilder, I heard the beat and loved the music," Cube says. "The rhyme just came after that. The Neptunes came from a fan perspective. Once you've been on your own page for a while, it can be hard to dig for something new. When you get with someone who's good and also a fan, they can help pull something new out of you."

Ice Cube is currently filming the third installment of the "Friday" series of movies, "Friday After Next," which is due for a Thanksgiving 2002 theatrical release. He also stars as a bounty hunter in "All About the Benjamins," which is scheduled to hit U.S. theaters on March 8.

"If you listen to my records and skits, they're like the audio to a movie," he says. "That's why I also like the film end of things: to see how creative you can be in telling a story on a three-dimensional level."

- By Gail Mitchell, L.A.


Bernie Mac To Host 2001 Billboard Music Awards

Comedian/actor Bernie Mac will host the 2001 Billboard Music Awards, airing live from Las Vegas' MGM Grand Arena Dec. 4 on Fox television, beginning at 8 p.m. The show's celebrity quotient continues to rise with DMX, Nelly, Sugar Ray's Mark McGrath, and actor Matthew McConaughey the latest to sign on to make appearances during the event.

As previously reported, the show's performance lineup boasts No Doubt, Incubus, Alicia Keys, 'N Sync, Tim McGraw, and Shaggy. Although previously announced, Destiny's Child will not be performing, but plan to attend the ceremony.

Other artists due to appear during the show include Sting, Janet Jackson, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Creed, Lifehouse, Blink-182, Pink, Joe, Aaron Carter, Godsmack, Mandy Moore, Ludacris, R. Kelly, Lil' Romeo, Lee Ann Womack, Jamie O'Neal, and Petey Pablo.

A founding member of the highly successful "Kings of Comedy" tour, Mac has been making his way into the television and film worlds as of late. This season welcomed the acclaimed Fox sitcom "The Bernie Mac Show," and Mac will soon be seen on the big screen in the remake of "Oceans 11," due to open Dec. 7 in U.S. theaters. He has previously appeared in the films "Life," "House Party 3," and "How To Be a Player."

Finalists for the 2001 Billboard Music Awards will be announced next week.

- By Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y

November 27, 2001

Wyclef Goes Beneath "Masquerade"

Jean says Nelson Mandela inspired upcoming record

Although Wyclef Jean's The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book is still bearing fruit -- the album and its two singles earned Jean a nomination for England's Top of the Pops Award -- Jean is already miles down the road. "I get bored very fast so I'm already like twenty-four songs into something else," he says. "I'm concentrating on this new one." The new one being his third album and Ecleftic follow-up, Masquerade, which is due out next year.

Jean is taking inspiration for Masquerade wherever he can find it, be it walking through old neighborhoods -- "I been just basically writing a lot of songs, feeling a lot of energy," he says, "roaming through Flatbush [Brooklyn], New Jersey" -- or reading everything from the Celestine Prophecy -- "It's hot. It's sort of like every time you read that book, it tells you something different" -- to current events, which often turn up in his music.

Ecleftic tackled the 1999 shooting death of West African immigrant Amadou Diallo, by New York City police officers in the song "Diallo." The same controversial subject produced criticism and praise, depending on which side you fell on, for Bruce Springsteen when he tackled the topic. But Jean's handling of the tragedy, though hardly unnoticed did not make the same waves. "I think my style of writing is just a different style; it's more of a thinking style," Jean says of his ability to make statements without being divisive.

"My idol is like Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, people like that," he says. "I think the ability to write a song which the whole world is going to sing along to is a natural thing. The sound is not so hardcore that you won't listen -- it's usually nice hooks, melodies."

A recent meeting with Nelson Mandela at a charity show in Spain particularly moved Jean. In fact, what he believes will be the last song on Masquerade was inspired by Mandela.

"He looks like a real prophet," Jean says. "Everything out of his mouth is just jewels. What I took away from everything he said was basically, 'Whatever you're doing in life, make sure that it can effect people one hundred years from now.' It influences everything that I do since I came into this game as a musician. I always go for the art first. And it's different when I'm doing records for people, because when people come to me they're basically trying to get a hit song and when I do records for myself I try to do the most artistic, musical album I can think of doing, as opposed to just trying to get two singles and songs that are just constantly going to play on the radio.".

Jean is also keeping busy with his two new labels: Booga Basement Records, which features hip-hop/R&B trio City High, and Yclef Records, a division of Clive Davis' J Records that is home to the Product G&B, who sang on Carlos Santana's Jean-penned hit "Maria Maria."

- By Christina Saraceno


Public Enemy Meet the Public

Fans remix four tracks for new album.

Public Enemy will release a new album, which will feature four of the group's past hits remixed by fans, in late February. This summer, through frontman Chuck D's own SlamJamz.com, P.E. offered fans a chance to download a capella versions of "Shut Em Down," "Public Enemy No. 1," "B Side Wins Again," and "By the Time I Get to Arizona," and write new music for the tracks. Those whose submissions were chosen will be given co-songwriting credit and royalties.

"It's been tremendous," says P.E. frontman Chuck D of the number of entries. "We had the a capellas downloaded 11,000 times and had 450 remixes done. Our virtual staff of thirty people have combed through the 450 mixes and picked the winners for each of the four songs. My point was definitely telling people that the world has more to offer. I think the industry pretty much suits itself and protects itself against the ongoing creativity of its public."

The winners are Owen Lake and Ross Farwell of Madison, Wisconsin, for "B Side Wins Again"; Jeronimo Punx of Buenos Aires, Argentina; for "Public Enemy No. 1"; Functionist of Austria for "Shut Em Down"; and Moleman Saphone from Long Island, New York, for "By the Time I Get to Arizona."

"The one that came from Madison, I couldn't even describe it," Chuck D says, "which was part of the attraction of that winning. If a song could have a D-side, that would be it. Functionist came up with a twisted, musical, but eerie groove. The Jeronimo Punx track is very well put together. I think they spent every second of their life on it."

Also slated for inclusion on the album is "Get Your Shit Together," a track written in response to government activity in the weeks following the terrorist attacks of September 11th. "It's a reminder to watch your P's and Q's and to not fall into the hype machine," says Chuck D.

He plans to release more a capella tracks for fans to remix in December.

- By Colin Devenish

November 26, 2001

Jay-Z Tapes 'Unplugged'

Backed by an acoustic band and a string quartet, Jay-Z had fans in a frenzy as he performed his hits for a taping of MTV2's "Unplugged" series Sunday night (Nov. 18). "Welcome to Jay-Z's poetry hour," the 31-year-old rapper joked. "Hark, who goes there?"

MTV producers told the audience of about 150 people to remain seated during the performance, so as not to block the cameras. But those directions were ignored by the time the band started playing "I Just Wanna Love U." "Everybody, you gotta get up for this one!" the rapper ordered. The crowd quickly obliged, crowding around him.

Jay-Z edited himself throughout most of the performance, trying not to utter the curse words that permeate much of his music -- until his raw encore. The show also featured a surprise guest -- Mary J. Blige -- who joined Jay-Z on stage for a song.

Jay-Z's "Unplugged" is scheduled to air on MTV2 on Dec. 15; MTV will broadcast it later.


Rule, Usher, Vandross Lead Platinum Charge

Ja Rule's Murder Inc. set "Pain Is Love," Usher's Arista album "8701," and Luther Vandross' self-titled J Records debut lead the list of albums newly certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Released in October, August, and June, respectively, each has been certified for U.S. sales of 1 million copies. The Ja Rule and Usher albums were also each certified gold (500,000 copies) in their first accounting by the RIAA since their release.

Several titles reached new multi-platinum levels in the latest round, led by "The Best of the Doors" (Elektra). Originally released in 1973, the set has been certified for U.S. sales of 9 million copies. Other titles achieving new peaks are Destiny's Child's "The Writing's on the Wall" (Columbia, 8 million), Linda Ronstadt's "Greatest Hits" (Asylum, 7 million), Tracy Chapman's 1988 self-titled Elektra debut (6 million), and 1995 Elektra releases by Chapman ("New Beginning") and Natalie Merchant ("Tigerlily"), each for 5 million copies sold.

Staind's May release, "Break the Cycle" (Elektra), reached a new certification peak for U.S. sales of 4 million copies, as did the Cars' 1979 classic "Candy-O" (Elektra). Reaching the triple-platinum plateau were Jennifer Lopez' "J. Lo" (Epic), Ronstadt's 1989 album "Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind," the Doors' 1967 self-titled Elektra release and their 1980 "Greatest Hits," and the Mercury Nashville soundtrack to the Coen Brothers film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"

November 24, 2001

Liks, Dogg Pound Responsible For Vapors Rising From West Coast

When Biz Markie and Snoop Dogg rapped about "the vapors," it was about how people change for the worse. Without a doubt, it was something you didn't want your friends to do. But a new group called the Vapors, made up of Tha Liks and Tha Dogg Pound, hopes every rap fan will want to be a part of its musical movement.

The combination of longtime friends and occasional collaborators Tha Liks (J-Ro, E-Swift and Tash), known for their rowdy, party-starting hip-hop, and Tha Dogg Pound (Kurupt and Daz), known for their lyrically inclined gangster parables, marks the first time West Coast crews with different sonic agendas have teamed up to form a single group.

The West Coast rap heroes will also feature up-and-coming rhyme friends Merciless Styles (a member of J-Ro's Wolfpack Family) and Roscoe (Kurupt's younger brother) prominently on their debut album, due next year. Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, King T, Defari and others are also likely to make appearances on the album.

"We're about to take over," J-Ro said. "We're taking the most lyrical, livest, gangster element of the West Coast and combining it with the most lyrical, livest, hip-hop element of the West Coast."

The Vapors album will be released on their own DNA label, which stands for either "Dogg Pound 'n' Alkaholiks" or "Drugs 'n' Alcohol," depending on your mood. It also has another meaning for Kurupt. "DNA is the makeup of the body, and we're the makeup of the West Coast," said Kurupt, who appeared on "Promote Violins," a cut from Tha Liks' X.O. Experience (2001).

Although the Vapors have yet to secure distribution for their album, that hasn't kept the crew from recording several songs. While on the Snoop Dogg-headlined Puff, Puff, Pass tour, E-Swift traveled with a portable studio, much as DJ Clue did on 1999's "Hard Knock Life" tour.

This preplanning is intended to show the world that the Vapors are serious. "See, we're a business," Kurupt said. "Before we even go to talk to people about our situation, we're going to make the album, have the album ready, have everything in preparation from merchandising to marketing plans - everything we want. DNA is very real. It's a combination of what we consider to be the greatest to come from the West."

- By Soren Baker


Mary J. Blige Is DMX's 'Angel' In DVD Mini-Movie

Dark Man's DVD includes all his videos, rare footage.

DMX is hoping to continue his Yuletide season success with the December 18 release of the DVD "Angel."

"Angel" is a mini-movie starring the Dark Man and Mary J. Blige, according to a spokesperson for DMX. Blige plays X's guardian angel as he rises from the streets to fame as a rap star.

Bonuses on the DVD include all of DMX's videos, live performances from the Hard Knock Life tour and the Survival of the Illest Tour, and behind-the-scenes footage of X putting together Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood.

DMX released ... And Then There Was X four days before Christmas in 1999. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with over 698,000 copies sold.

- By Shaheem Reid

November 23, 2001

Ice Cube Out To Make Hollywood Bow Down

Don’t blame Ice Cube for surrendering his famous scowl - it's what’s been working for him as he tries to evolve into a Tinseltown A-list player.

Cube’s production company, Cube Vision, tasted success last year with its first effort, the comedy "Next Friday," and it's hoping to follow-up with "All About the Benjamins," due March 8, and "Friday After Next," slated to be released around next Thanksgiving. Both films star Cube and funnyman partner Mike Epps, "Next Friday’s" main attractions.

"With Epps, the first project we worked on together, he was new to it," Cube said Friday during a satellite press conference he delivered from Los Angeles. "He didn’t know what to expect from the whole experience. He’s done a few movies in between, [so] he’s just more comfortable with acting [now]. The chemistry seems to flow. We’re working on our third movie together, which is ‘Friday After Next,’ [and] we’re in such a flow that it's kind of like some of them old-school teams of comedy pairs you used to see. We plan on doing three more movies together."

"Cube is a expert. He’s a good coach," Epps added. "As a player, you just have to listen to him. After doing this many films with him, I know what he wants. I know what his comedy consists of."

In "Benjamins," Cube plays Bucum, a Miami bounty hunter who dreams of opening his own private dick agency. On his latest case, he’s on the trail of Epps’ character, Reggie, a petty thief on the verge of changing his life.

The two are forced to become partners when they get tangled up with a pair of jewel thieves after Reggie witnesses one of their crimes.

"I went off the script a little bit," Epps said of the filming. "It’s hard staying on the script. Ice Cube allows us to adlib. He’ll let me get mine in, tell me to say an extra muthaf---a. He always gives me extra leeway."

The duo are four weeks into "Friday After Next" and said it’s going to be just as ghetto fabulous as its predecessors.

"[We’re] wrapping this whole 'Friday' concept on Christmas Eve," Cube said.

"Santa Claus broke in my house," Epps explained.

"I don’t think we exposed America to what a black Christmas can really be," Cube said. "We’re just exposing how Christmas can really happen in the 'hood. We’re back in the 'hood, Craig and Day-Day live together. Mr. Jones and Uncle Elroy own the barbecue spot, and we work as ghetto security at the little strip mall."

"He’s taking his authority too far," Epps said of Cube’s character. "He’s walking around the mall wearing house shoes. A security guard with house shoes? One thing about working with Ice Cube, you ain’t never gonna loose your core audience. You can go in the ghetto somewhere and see a ‘Next Friday’ poster in a crack house."

And while Cube, who’s releasing a greatest-hits album on December 4, is grateful for the music fans that have supported his movies, he wants to keep expanding his appeal.

"With movies I’ve been able to grab a whole other audience," explained the legendary rapper, who said he’s trying to become a free agent MC after his next album. "The rap game plays out after a while. I’ve been in it for 15 years. The same doing videos, going up to the radio station, ‘Buy my record.’ Fifteen years of that, you want to show how creative you are on different levels. We don’t want all the pie. We just want a little piece of it."

"With a little crust on it," Epps added, laughing.

- By Shaheem Reid


Macy Gray Takes 'Sexual Revolution' On The Road

Macy Gray has announced details for the first leg of her tour to promote The Id.

Gray will play nine dates beginning November 30 in Miami Beach and ending on New Year's Eve in West Hollywood.

The Id, released in September, is the follow-up to the R&B singer's Grammy Award-winning debut, On How Life Is. The Canton, Ohio, native debuted some of the new material last summer on the road with the Dave Matthews Band.

After crossing from Florida to California in her tour bus, Gray will perform the single "Sexual Revolution" on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on December 14.

Macy Gray tour dates, according to Epic:

  • 11/30 - Miami Beach, FL @ Billboard Live
  • 12/1 - Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
  • 12/2 - Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
  • 12/4 - New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
  • 12/6 - Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum Live
  • 12/7 - Austin, TX @ Austin Music Hall
  • 12/8 - Houston, TX @ Numbers
  • 12/11 - Scottsdale, AZ @ Cajun House
  • 12/31 - West Hollywood, CA @ House of Blues

- By Corey Moss

November 22, 2001

Three 6 Mafia's Gangsta Boo Finds God, Becomes Lady Boo

When God came to Gangsta Boo, she listened. The rapper, who gained her fame as a member of sometime-darkside advocates Three 6 Mafia, has renamed herself Lady Boo and is exploring new ways to express herself creatively.

Although she appears on La' Chat's Murder She Spoke album and on the soundtrack for Three 6 Mafia's "Choices," both of which came out in October, the Memphis artist said she will no longer record with the group if they want her to present herself as the sassy, foul-mouthed, sex-starved rapper that she was on those recordings as well as her first two albums, 1998's Enquiring Minds and 2001's Both Worlds *69.

"I'm officially not a member of Three 6 Mafia right now," said Boo, who was saved in September. "I'm not going to be on the new Three 6 Mafia album unless they got some old songs that they've [already] recorded. But I'm not going to willingly participate in going to the studio and recording with Three 6 Mafia.

"There's no problem," she explained. "Sometimes people grow apart, and basically that's what it is. There's no drama, no beef. It's still the same. I just kind of grew apart, and I'm not doing things that they're doing. I'm not cursing in my music no more. We just grew apart like a marriage."

Boo said she is still signed to the group's Hypnotize Minds imprint, however, and Three 6 Mafia's DJ Paul said that she had indeed undergone a transformation. "She's gone Christian or something," he said. "She's been preaching and doing little seminars here and there".

At these sessions, Boo explains why she's changed her name. "I wanted to change my name because of the stereotype that goes with 'Gangsta this' and 'Gangsta that,' " she said. "I wasn't living the gangster lifestyle, so I wanted to lose the name. Everybody was always telling me that it didn't fit me anyway. I was young. I grew up and matured, so I decided to go with 'Lady Boo,' since I say Lady Boo in my raps anyway. That was kind of like my code name."

It's a name that also mirrors her new role with God, whom she said sought her out. "He came to me," Boo said. "Half of my family is saved, and I didn't even realize that. He just always had a calling on me and I was kinda running from it. I was in and out of depression, and nobody was really around to take me away from that, so I would always end up praying to Him. I guess the stronger my prayer got, the more He was pulling on me."

Since being saved in September, Boo said she's been regularly attending church, sometimes every day, and has noticed a marked difference in her personality and her state of mind.

"Ever since then, I've been so happy," he said. "I've been more peaceful. I used to always have attitudes. I was around here wilding. Now I know myself. I was always into meditation anyway, so I think that helped, too."

Even though her dramatic change will alter her raps, don't think that the woman whose previous song titles include "Hard Not 2 Kill" and "I Faked It Last Night" will take the spiritual-music route.

"I'm not turning gospel," Boo said. "My rap is going to be reality rap. I'm going to rap about what I see and what I know. If I'm not smoking weed or doing a lot of stuff that I used to, then that's not what I'm going to rap about.

"I've toned it down a lot," she continued. "The last CD, Both Worlds *69, that's going to be the last crotch-grabbing [thing I do]. I toned my image down a lot. I'm not cursing in my music anymore. I wanted to clean my image up a whole lot and especially with all this stuff going on with

America and the world, we need more positive role models for our kids. They follow our lead. A lot of people say, 'Well, they know we're entertainers, and music doesn't have you doing this or that.' But yes, it does. If you have a song saying 'Tear Da Club Up' and that's what you're playing in the clubs, that's what you're going to do. I want to kind of uplift the kids and people's spirits more with the music I'm trying to do now."

Boo's new music will be profanity-free. She's now working with producer Drama Boy on music for her own Crazy Lady Records label, which she just started with her cousin and business partner Brian Portwood, who doubles as the rapper Stang. They've already recorded a song called "Crazy in the Last Days," which shares its title with CrazyNDaLazDayz, the 1999 album from Three 6 Mafia offshoot group Tear Da Club Up Thugs. The song's remix will be a tribute to victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Most importantly, Boo wants her impressionable female fans to know that there's more to life than money, a theme she'll be exploring on her upcoming work. "There's so many young girls that want to grow up so fast that are thinking that, 'I've got to get a man with a Bentley,' " Boo said. "No. The key is to get your own. Don't think that just because you sleep with him you're entitled to have this, because you're not. I think it's time for women in the industry to stop playing themselves."

Now that she's endured personal crisis and put her raunchy raps behind her, Lady Boo feels the utmost confidence in her new direction.

"I'm glad I changed," she said. "I'm glad I saw and realized what was going wrong with my life and corrected it. A lot of people can't correct their errors or their issues because they're scared of what people are going to say. But I'm not, though, because I've got to wake up to myself. I don't wake up to the world. The world don't go to sleep with me."

- By Soren Baker


Judge Won't Stop Jay-Z's Flow

 "The flow o' the century" won't be silenced while a court hears from a singer seeking compensation for her role in Jay-Z's "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," a judge ruled Friday.

Demme Ulloa sought a preliminary injunction to halt sales of the hit single and The Blueprint, the album that spawned it, during her copyright infringement suit against the rapper, but she was denied by Judge Barbara Jones of Manhattan's Southern District Court, a court spokesperson said.

Ulloa claims she contributed vocals to "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" without being compensated or credited.

Injunctions such as the one Ulloa sought are only granted when a judge decides that a plaintiff can't be legally satisfied or compensated while the allegedly infringing material is still on sale, according to Jay-Z's attorney.

Ulloa's lawyer, John P. Bostany, said he didn't have time to review or refute a last-minute report submitted by a musicologist, which may have been a factor in the judge's ruling.

Bostany's client continues to seek monetary damages to be determined later by the judge. A lawyer for the defense maintained that Ulloa simply provided backing vocals on the track and therefore should only receive payment comparable to other backing vocalists for hire.

The plaintiff testified that she was just visiting the studio while "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" was being recorded and heard parts of the song, which prompted her to sing a bit of the melody now being disputed. Ulloa said Jay-Z heard this and invited her to sing on the track.

Ulloa's account differs from the defense's position that the melody was already in place when Ulloa was asked to record her part.

Following Ulloa's testimony, the defense asked her to write down the notes that comprise the melody, which she couldn't do completely. They then produced a keyboard and asked her to play the musical snippet, a test she also failed.

Bostany said an inability to write musical notes or play the piano doesn't necessarily negate Ulloa's claim that she came up with the melodic part.

Ulloa also asserted that her name was missing from the liner notes of The Blueprint, though Jay-Z's attorney dismissed that as an oversight that happens all the time and pointed out that Ulloa's name, though misspelled, was present on the vinyl and cassette formats of the album as well as the promotional single.

The defendants must now file an answer to the plaintiff's complaint of copyright infringement by December 7, according to a court spokesperson. After that, another hearing may be scheduled.

- By Joe D'Angelo

November 21, 2001

Faith Evans Raps Like Biggie, Sings For DMX After 4 A.M. Hotel Visit

She's a singer, songwriter, budding businesswoman (as one of the owners of Pedigree M.G.I., she manages former 702 lead singer Kameelah Williams) and, as her current hit single, "You Gets No Love," shows, a closet rapper. On the song, Faith Evans says some rhymes once spat by her late husband, the Notorious B.I.G.

"The fact that I quoted his lyrics on the single was definitely ... for one, I was having fun," she said. "I'm always sitting around rhyming. So my friend dared me to rhyme on the record. She was like, 'You know you need to go ahead and do it.' I don't really be serious. I just start flowing. So I was like, 'What am I gonna say?' She was like, 'Say some of Big's rhymes. He's the illest' ".

On her album Faithfully, Evans also sings about Biggie on "Alone in This World," where she pays homage to him by sampling his song "Who Shot Ya?"

"When I heard the track I couldn't write nothing to do it," she said. "I was so happy to have that track, I was like, 'Oh that's hot. Everybody gonna love it.' "

After letting P. Diddy find a songwriter for the beat, she added some of her own lyrics to make it more personal. "I'm sure the lyrics were definitely drawn off of my experiences with B.I.G.," she admitted. "I wouldn't say word-for-word it's autobiographical. The theme of it definitely reflects back to the fact that we were married. And actually my [current] husband thought it would be a great idea."

Evans' spouse, Todd Russaw, who is also one of Faithfully's executive producers, didn't think that it was such a good idea for her to have an early morning meeting with DMX to discuss their first reteaming since Faith appeared on X's remix to "How's It Going Down" in 1998.

"The first time we worked together [DMX] wasn't there, it was just like I came in to re-sing the sample on that remix," she explained. "But this time it was interesting, to say the least."

It wasn't that Russaw had anything against X, but as Faith recounts, Dark Man woke her up when he came barking at her hotel at four o'clock in the morning to woo her for The Great Depression's "I Miss You," a cut honoring his late grandmother.

"I was dead to the world asleep, out like a light," said Faith, who sings the hook and ad-libs on the track. "He was calling, and Todd was like, 'Man she's asleep like for real. What do you want me to do? She asleep.' [DMX] was like, 'No, you don't understand, like I gotta talk to her. I want her to totally understand my whole vision.' "

"He was so passionate about that song," she continued. "And I see why, after I heard it and realized it was to his grandma. He told me 'If you don't sing it I gotta sing it myself.' [In the studio] he told me every melody to sing, 'Sing this line over.' He was really in there producing me, whereas normally I pretty much produce myself. I mean, sometimes Puff might have a little idea of how he wants me to sing a line, but for the most part I usually decide how I sing my vocals."

Evans said her following will get to see exactly how she carries each note of her tunes up close next year - a tour across the U.S. is in the works.

- By Shaheem Reid


LL Cool J 'Sick With It' On Next LP, Neptunes Say

LL Cool J has jumped aboard the Neptunes' beatmaking gravy train. Last week, the two were buzzing about their latest session with the rap icon, who's putting together his next opus.

"We did a dope record with that guy, man," Pharrell Williams said on Thursday. "[It's called] 'I'm Gonna Love You Better.' "

"That's my joint right there," his partner, Chad Hugo, added.

"It's just about him just going back to his girl and saying, 'Listen, I didn't even cheat on you. I didn't do anything wrong. I just wanna let you know I love you so much that I'm gonna love you better,' " Williams explained. "It's so dope."

"It's like a futuristic 'I Need Love,' " Hugo said.

The 'Tunes, who have done four tracks so far for the follow-up to LL's G.O.A.T. Featuring James T. Smith: The Greatest of All Time, said the MC's journey back to his roots inspired them to give it all they got.

"When I tell you it's the essence, it is the essence of me and [Chad]," Williams said. "Every chord, every kick, every snare, everything that we did to that record, man, is like it is the essence of who we are. I'm proud of that."

The duo are equally proud of LL's zest for recording.

"He's hungry, man," Williams said of LL. "He made a very interesting statement. He thought that by saying [he was] 'the greatest of all time,' he felt like God sort of penalized him, because God is the greatest of all time. God lashed out at him like, 'Listen, don't do that.' Although [G.O.A.T.] went platinum, 'Don't do that.' He's so hungry and humble.

"Honestly, when you look at it, dude is what he say he is," Williams continued. "He's sick with it. But this new record, man. For him to be doing, like, 10 records - 10 records! - for him to have 10 albums out and to still come back and be able to make a dope record, a dope record, he's serious, man."

A release date and title for LL Cool J's next album have yet to be determined, a spokesperson for Def Jam said. In April, the rapper said he had hoped to get his album out by October.

- By Shaheem Reid

November 19, 2001

Snoop Dogg Says 'Whatever' To Harry Potter

Earlier this week, Snoop Dogg said that his next album will be called Big Snoop Dogg: Paid the Cost to Be the Boss. He may not be the boss of the box office come Monday.

The comedy "The Wash," which opened on Wednesday, pits Snoop and co-star Dr. Dre against the imposing "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," which opens Friday (November 16). Snoop isn't stressing the stiff competition.

"I keep hearing about mutha----ing Harry Potter," Snoop said. "I'm like, 'Who is this mutha----er I keep hearing about?' I don't know him, but I do know this. Dre and Snoop, we've got a following that's definitely dedicated and devoted, and that's all that matters.

"We're gonna crack a new audience, because I've been doing a lot of acting lately, and I've been gaining a new surplus of fans in the movie world," he added. "I think they'll see 'Harry Potter' and 'The Wash.' You never know."

Snoop won't be one of those people, however. "I'm not spending a dime on 'Harry Potter,' " he said. "I'll take [my kids] to go see 'The Wash,' and that's just how it is. They might have to wait to get ['Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'] on DVD."

Fans won't have to wait as long for more information on Big Snoop Dogg: Paid the Cost to Be the Boss. The Doggfather has been tightlipped about the record, only divulging that Kid Rock guests on one track.

However, producer Michael Angelo Saulsberry let one of the Dogg's cats out the bag and said that Snoop has a track called "Whatever" that will be hitting clubs soon.

"It [has] a real interesting hook," said Saulsberry, who also produced two tracks on Faith Evans' Faithfully, including "You Gets No Love." "Homie is talking about people talking about him on the street. So in the hook, he's just being sarcastic. He goes, 'Whatever, whatever,' but he's talking [really properly].

"The beat ... it's got a little Parliament, but it's really beat and bass. It's mid[tempo] to fast. It's for the clubs. Everybody's been saying he's really back on this one."

MCA, which is distributing Snoop's album, said the LP does not have a release date yet. 

- By Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Jonathan Cane


Lil' Bow Wow Hangs With The Kids In Chi-Town 'Hood For 'Thank You'

For Lil' Bow Wow, there is no time to be shy in Chi-town. The 14-year-old is in Chicago this week shooting the video for "Thank You," the first single off of his December 18 release, Doggy Bag, and he's trying to interact with his fans.

"I'm loving it, I'm feeling it," he said of the shoot via cell phone Thursday. "So far so good. The kids are everywhere. They're waving to me right now."

Directed by Mark Klasfeld, the clip will keep with the song's theme of the teen titan going around thanking everyone for his success. A source within the So So Def camp said to expect scenes in the video where Bow Wow performs at popular Windy City record store George's Music Room and pops at a female fan's birthday party.

The whole So So Def family, including newest member Fundisha, makes cameos in the video, and production should wrap up on Friday (November 16).

Bow Wow said that like shooting the video, making his second album was a breeze. "I'm hoping it's gonna do better than the last one," he said. "I was more comfortable, it was a lot easier, too. Plus, I wrote some stuff. I had a lot of fun with this one."

Last month, So So Def CEO Jermaine Dupri said Bow Wow hadn't written any material as of yet for the album , but the youngster said he was able to pen some of his own lyrics before Doggy Bag's production wrapped.

"It feels good because I put all my effort in, all my hard work, all my time into it," he said about writing rhymes. "For me to go in the booth and record, it's excellent to say 'I wrote that' and get other people's compliments. I'm not nervous at all. I come out hungry, ready to do it."

"We did a sick record for Bow Wow," said one half of the Neptunes, Pharrell Williams. "The hook is sick. It's got little girls going, 'I said a Lil' Bow Wow/ You just don't know/ How you move so fast, across the floor/ 'Cause you be running through my mind like all the time ... ' It's sick, yo. That little kid is focused. He wants to win, man."

Bow Wow, who has a small role in the upcoming Ice Cube and Mike Epps action/comedy, "All About the Benjamins," will go back in front of the cameras next month for his first big screen starring role.

"[It's called] 'Like Mike.' I play this kid that switches back from foster home to foster home and I go to the NBA at a young age. Its gonna be a real good movie."

Before he bolts off for Hollywood, though, he has to finish getting love in Chi-town.

"We're in the 'hood right now," he said. "The kids are going crazy, they never seen nothing like this, so they're having a real good time. I'm having a real good time with them."

- By Shaheem Reid

November 16, 2001

Ice Cube Shooting Another "Friday"

New film project with Johnny Knoxville also in the works

Several weeks into shooting one film and with two others lined up after it, Ice Cube continues his gradual transition from rapper/actor to actor/rapper. Cube has just begun shooting Friday After Next, the follow-up to 2000's Next Friday and third in the ghetto-fabulous series that began with 1995's Friday.

Cube again penned the screenplay and serves as producer. The director is Marcus Raboy, who, in addition to directing a host of Cube's videos ("Guerillas in the Mist," "Wicked" "You Know How We Do It"), has shot clips for Santana ("Smooth") and Staind ("Fade").

Like the first two movies, Friday After Next finds Cube's weed-stupored Craig Jones struggling to keep afloat in a less than idyllic corner of Los Angeles. This one's a holiday affair, however -- a yule-tide-n-the-hood replete with a Santa who breaks, enters and makes off with everything under the tree.

"There's never really been a real hood Christmas movie," Cube says, breaking between scenes on a Glendale, California soundstage. "A California Christmas with no snow on the ground and shit -- I thought it would add a new texture, a new flavor to what we were doing. I remember wishing there was snow in L.A. And how jealous we used to get of those Christmas specials with kids playing in the snow. For us, it was not about what you got, but how you felt. I tried to capture that in this movie. You know, you're not gonna get a lot so it's all about how you feel, with your family, the songs and what they do for you."

The soundtrack for Friday After Next is due sometime before the film's planned Thanksgiving 2002 release. Though Cube says it's too early to say exactly which artists (besides himself) will grace the album, he's already formulated its motif.

"We'll have a chance to include a lot of Christmas jams that have never made it into films but they've been in black households for a long time," he says. "Things like Donny Hathaway's 'This Christmas.' We're gonna do a few original songs, and grab some from the archives. I'm gonna do some myself."

Contrary to rumors, Rush Hour star Chris Tucker will not be reprising his also-perpetually-stoned Smokey character from the original Friday -- the role that launched the funnyman into the box-office cosmos. Conspicuously absent from Next Friday, Tucker's comic slack was picked up by Mike Epps, who played Craig's neurotic cousin, Day-Day. Epps and Day-Day are back for the third chapter.

"It hasn't been tough filling [Tucker's] shoes, because we found Mike Epps, and I like Mike Epps better as a person than I do Chris Tucker," says Cube. "I still haven't got a real explanation of why he [Tucker] didn't do the last movie. I've got bullshit explanations. He says he didn't get paid. I beg to differ, but he's never come to me and talked to me personally about what he says in public. I wish he would be a man and do that, but he won't.

"And it's like, you know, one monkey don't stop the show," Cube continues. "The second one made way more money than the first one made, and we expect the third one to blow that one outta the water. In retrospect, who really needs Chris Tucker in Friday? It's not about him."

When filming wraps, Cube will head immediately to Chicago to work on Barbershop, the big-screen debut from another video director, Tim Story (R. Kelly, Master P., Ginuwine). The movie is another ghetto knee-slapper set in Chicago's rough and tumble South Side, with Cube starring as a barbershop owner whose humble haircutters try to play detective.

From there, he'll head back to Los Angeles (sometime in March) to shoot the real-time car-chase epic The Big Ticket with Jackass's Johnny Knoxville. Based on a Steve Spielberg story idea and written by James Herzfeld (Meet the Parents), "Ticket" finds Cube again exploring the thug motif, this time as an escaped convict who carjacks Knoxville, who is cast as a stuffy yuppie.

- By Greg Heller


Cypress Hill Launch Another Two-Pronged Attack With Stoned Raiders

Group releases rock single 'Trouble,' rap single 'Lowrider' at same time. The members of Cypress Hill were hardly saints before becoming rap-rock superstars, but they managed not to stray too far over the line, as B-Real can attest in the group's new single "Trouble."

"It's just one of those tracks where you look back and think about all the stuff you've been through," the rapper said. "The mentality it took to keep you out of that trouble, the situations - sort of like an example-type song."

"Trouble" and "Lowrider," which B-Real described as a tribute to lowrider car culture, are the first singles off Stoned Raiders, due December 4, according to a Columbia Records spokesperson.

The songs were released to different radio formats simultaneously, with "Trouble" going to rock outlets while "Lowrider" hit hip-hop stations. The split singles stay true to the rap-rock dichotomy the group helped pioneer with its 1991 self-titled debut and exemplified best on last year's double album, Skull & Bones, which featured "(Rock) Superstar" and "(Rap) Superstar" as singles.

Videos for both songs were shot in Los Angeles in October. Chris Robinson (P. Diddy, Faith Evans) helmed the "Trouble" clip, while the team of Smith n' Borin (Xzibit, New Found Glory) directed "Lowrider," which B-Real said depicts the ground-skimming automotive styles of past decades. As for the concept behind "Trouble," the cannabis connoisseur was hesitant to reveal any details.

Unlike some videos, which B-Real said could be "a drag" and "a big pain in the ass," the filming for "Trouble" and "Lowrider" went relatively smoothly.

"These two weren't so bad," B-Real explained. "We had fun. It seemed like the time just went by, because [the directors] made it interesting. It wasn't what seemed like thousands of shots for something so simple. A lot of times you get frustrated [because] you don't really want to keep doing the same damn thing over and over. But you have to for the sake of getting the right shot. So we were just patient and trusted the directors."

The Los Angeles quartet of B-Real, Sen Dog, Bobo and DJ Muggs weren't alone in recording Stoned Raiders, which takes its title from a track off 1995's Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom. They were joined in the studio by some familiar faces - Andy Zambrano and Jeremy Fleener of Sen Dog's side project SX-10, Fear Factory bassist Christian Olde Wolbers, and Downset guitarist Rogelio Lozano, who performed with B-Real, Sen Dog and Bobo in Los Marijuanos - as well as some unexpected collaborators like Kurupt, Everlast, MC Ren, Redman, Method Man and Kokane.

"We've been doing a lot of work together for a long time," B-Real said of Olde Wolbers and Lozano. "We know each other's vibe and where we want to go musically, so it sort of makes it easier when you're working with all those people who are constantly around and know what the thing is about, rather than going and getting other musicians who are just paid to come in and play and really don't know the vibe.

"Kurupt had been hanging with Muggs, ... and I was like, 'Hey, man, why don't you jump on this track with me?' And he got on and just ripped it up, and then we did a few more songs. He showed up [in the studio] again while we were doing 'Kronologik,' and I said, 'Hey, why don't you do something on this?' Actually, we weren't even planning to have him on. I just finished writing the verses and he was there saying the chorus to me, what he thought it should be, and I liked it."

Track listing for Stoned Raiders, according to Columbia Records:

  • "Intro"
  • "Trouble"
  • "Kronologik" (featuring Kurupt)
  • "Southland Killers (featuring MC Ren and King Tee)
  • "Bitter"
  • "Amplified"
  • "It Ain't Easy"
  • "Memories"
  • "Psychodelic Vision"
  • "Red Meth & Bee" (featuring Redman and Method Man)
  • "Lowrider"
  • "Catastrophe"
  • "L.I.F.E." (featuring Kokane)
  • "Here Is Something You Can't Understand" (featuring Kurupt)

- By Joe D'Angelo, with additional reporting by Meridith Gottlieb

November 15, 2001

Dre, Xzibit Sued By Songwriter Claiming They Bit His Beat For 'X'

Just under a year ago, Xzibit hit the charts with the single "X" from his album Restless. The record credited Dr. Dre as primary author of the ditty, but a Philadelphia songwriter named Michael Lowe insists that's just not the case, and he's suing Dre, Xzibit, studio producer and Roots songwriter Scott Storch, Loud records and other parties for stealing his tune.

In a copyright infringement suit filed in April and rapidly heading for the courtroom, Lowe claims that on August 6, 2000, he was invited by Storch to come to Pep-Soul Recording Studios in Philadelphia and bring some of his "hottest stuff." If it was good enough, the material would then be showcased for various hip-hop producers in New York and Los Angeles.

One of the songs Lowe played for Storch was "West Coast (Dre Beat)," a piece he had assembled to complement Dre's style of hip-hop. Lowe alleges that after hearing the song, Storch asked him to return home and retrieve the original disk that contained the song. According to the complaint, a sound engineer hired by Pep-Soul to assist Storch during recording sessions witnessed the producer recording drumbeats and music that sounded like "West Coast (Dre Beat)" into his keyboard.

Eight months later, Lowe heard his track on Xzibit's album, Lowe's attorney John T. Robertson said. In late March, Robertson hired a music expert to compare Lowe's original song with "X," and found that there were sufficient similarities to justify legal action.

Robertson then sent a settlement proposal to each of the defendants in the case, but they all refused to settle, insisting that Xzibit and Dre wrote "X" on their own. The defendants were served legal papers in April and to date all but music publisher Melvin F. Bradford have responded not guilty to the copyright infringement charges. Storch asked that the case be dismissed due to lack of evidence, but last week his motion was denied by judge Robert L. Kelly of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Lowe is seeking damages exceeding $1 million. The other defendants named in Lowe Vs. Loud Records are Columbia Records, Hennessy for Everyone Music, Ain't Nuthin' But Funkin' Music, Hard Workin' Black Folks Music and Voco Music.

Spokespersons for Dre, Xzibit, Loud and Columbia did not immediately return calls. 

- By Jon Wiederhorn


Usher Tour On Hold After Singer Dislocates Shoulder

Usher, the singer who once sang about poppin' his collar, has popped his shoulder out of place, forcing him to delay the start of his tour until next year.

The 22-year-old, who was to begin his nationwide tour with opener Fabolous on December 6 in Minneapolis, apparently dislocated his right shoulder sometime last week in Los Angeles while rehearsing choreography that includes handstands and back flips, according to his spokesperson. Although he'd been experiencing severe pain, he didn't know the severity of his injury until he consulted his doctor on Monday and was told he had to have immediate rotator cuff surgery, the spokesperson said.

The singer is still hospitalized and should be released within the next couple of days. Usher, who devised much his show's choreography himself, was wrapping up the last stages of his performance rehearsals when he was hurt, his rep said.

Since the singer will need about three months to recuperate, his schedule has been cleared and his tour will now begin in April. No word yet on the exact commencement date, what city it will start in, or if Fabolous will still open for him.

Fans across the country can still go out and see Usher soon. His long-delayed film, "Texas Rangers," will be released on November 30.

While on the mend, Usher will have plenty of time to contemplate his next single. His label said no follow-up release to the love ditty "U Got It Bad" has been chosen yet.

- By Shaheem Reid

November 14, 2001

Alicia Keys Leads List Of American Music Awards Nominees

 Alicia Keys leads the list of contenders for the 29th annual American Music Awards, with her five nominations besting 'NSYNC, Aaliyah and Destiny's Child, who are among 10 artists with two nods apiece.

Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and Jewel announced the nominees Tuesday morning (November 13) at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Other artists with two nominations are Janet Jackson, R. Kelly, Shaggy, Dave Matthews Band, Tim McGraw, Lonestar and Brooks & Dunn.

Keys, who will present an award at the ceremony January 9 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, is nominated for Favorite Female Artist and Favorite New Artist in both the Pop/Rock and Soul/R&B categories, along with Favorite Soul/R&B Album for Songs in A Minor.

"Alicia is great. She deserves it," Jewel said after announcing Keys' nominations. "It's nice to see people who write their own stuff doing well. When I won a [Best New Artist] AMA it was really fun, because it's fan-nominated. That's a great thing. It makes you feel like you are connecting with people."

The American Music Awards, whose nominees and winners are determined by fan voting, tend to recognize more commercially successful artists than the Grammys. Last year's winners included Creed, Kid Rock and Toni Braxton.

Combs will host this year's ceremony, which will feature performances from Kid Rock, Cher, Shaggy and Brooks & Dunn.

Ja Rule and Ludacris have been announced as presenters, while Dick Clark, the producer of the awards, said Tuesday that Garth Brooks, Redman and Method Man will also be involved, along with more artists who will be announced at a later date.

For the first time this year, the American Music Awards will present the Coca-Cola New Music Award to an unsigned band, which will get to perform at the awards show. The entries in that category, which has been narrowed from 50, are Denver's Yo, Flaco!, New York's Live Honey and Richmond, Virginia's Carbon Leaf.

"It's not like playing the local Howard Johnson's. They will be seen by several million people," Clark said.

The award show will be broadcast live on ABC, except on the West Coast, where it will be tape-delayed.

American Music Awards nominees:
  • Favorite Male Artist - Pop/Rock
    Lenny Kravitz
    R. Kelly
    Shaggy

  • Favorite Female Artist - Pop/Rock
    Janet Jackson
    Alicia Keys
    Jennifer Lopez

  • Favorite Band, Duo or Group - Pop/Rock
    Dave Matthews Band
    'NSYNC
    U2

  • Favorite Album - Pop/Rock
    Dave Matthews Band - Everyday
    Destiny's Child - Survivor
    'NSYNC - Celebrity

  • Favorite New Artist - Pop/Rock
    Nelly Furtado
    Alicia Keys
    Lifehouse

  • Favorite Male Artist - Soul/R&B
    Ginuwine
    R. Kelly
    Luther Vandross

  • Favorite Female Artist - Soul/R&B
    Aaliyah
    Mary J. Blige
    Alicia Keys

  • Favorite Band, Duo or Group - Soul/R&B
    Destiny's Child
    The Isley Brothers, featuring Ronald Isley, a.k.a. Mr. Biggs
    Jagged Edge

  • Favorite Album - Soul/R&B
    Aaliyah - Aaliyah
    Janet Jackson - All for You
    Alicia Keys - Songs in A Minor

  • Favorite New Artist - Soul/R&B
    Blu Cantrell
    Alicia Keys
    Musiq Soulchild

  • Favorite Artist - Rap/Hip-Hop
    Nelly
    Ja Rule
    Shaggy

  • Favorite Artist - Alternative
    Limp Bizkit
    Linkin Park
    Staind

  • Favorite Artist - Adult Contemporary
    Enya
    LeAnn Rimes
    Sade

  • Favorite Artist - Latin Music
    Enrique Iglesias
    Shakira
    Jaci Velasquez

  • Favorite Soundtrack
    American Pie 2
    Moulin Rouge
    Save the Last Dance

- By Corey Moss


Cypress Hill Film Two Videos

Cypress Hill just finished shooting the video for "Trouble." The video for the rock single from the band's December 4th release, Stoned Raiders, was filmed in downtown Los Angeles, including a segment shot in the city's little-known and little-used subway system.

"It's a series of different scenes," says Cypress Hill's B-Real. "Obviously in my verse I'm talking about my past and how crazy it was and the trouble I used to get into and the demons that haunt me for it. In the video I'm getting chased in most of my scenes by my own demons for all the shit I did."

Other scenes include live footage of Cypress Hill performing in a subway tunnel and an impromptu mosh pit on Sen Dog's front lawn. The group partnered with Chris Robinson (DMX, Jay-Z) for the clip, giving the director free reign to write his own treatment for the video.

"He has a lot of good ideas," says B-Real. "We basically let him run with it. I didn't want to tie the guy's hands behind his back by sticking to the guidelines of what the song is."

Cypress Hill also filmed the video for the rap single, "Lowrider," which was shot by director team Smith and Borin. True to its title, the clip features the group tooling around in '57 Chevy's and '64 Impalas. Both videos will hit video networks this month.

- By Colin Devenish

November 13, 2001

Brandy Roars Back At Mr. Wrong On 'What About Us?

Though she's still working on it and it's still untitled, Brandy's new album is really going to come out on February 26, a spokesperson for the singer insisted Thursday. In fact, her first single and the accompanying video are scheduled to drop in December, setting it up.

On the single, called "What About Us?," Brandy roars back at an untrue love. "Why don't you return my calls?" she asks her would-be Mr. Right. "Why you messin' with my mind?/ I can find another guy," she continues.

The cut's producer, Rodney Jerkins, provides manic g-funk, bouncy basslines and effects that sounds like metal getting crunched. As Jerkins proclaimed in August, Brandy sounds a little different now.  Her voice is deeper than ever before, adding an extra depth to the chorus, which includes the lines, "What about all the things you said?/ What about the promises you made?/ What about the lies you gave me?"

Her spokesperson said the voice change simply has to do with growing up. Like her fellow pop princess peer, Britney Spears, she's not a little girl anymore. By the time the album drops, Brandy will be 23 (her birthday is February 13).

The video for "What About Us?" hasn't been shot yet, as Brandy's still in the process of choosing a director. She'll have to hurry up and decide, though - her rep said the clip is scheduled to ramp up production within the next two weeks in Los Angeles.

- By Shaheem Reid


DMX, Fred Durst To Record Together Again

DMX and Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst are poised to come together once again, that is, if the Dark Man's asthma doesn't get in the way.

X and Durst were supposed to hit New York's Hit Factory studio on Friday to record a song for an upcoming compilation LP on DMX's Bloodline label, as well as the soundtrack to the drama "Undisputed," which stars Wesley Snipes, Ving Rhames and Master P. That didn't happen, though, as the growling MC suffered an asthma attack while in Atlanta for a date on his Hoodstock Tour, according to his spokesperson. He was in no condition to perform or make the trek to New York. His spokesperson said he was treated by doctors on Friday and has since made it back to the Big Apple.

Although the Yonkers, New York, native has worked with Durst before - on the "Urban Assault Vehicle" version of Limp Bizkit's "Rollin' " - and has toured with him as well, X's rep said the planned collaboration was actually the brainchild of Def Jam CEO Lyor Cohen and Interscope CEO Jimmy Iovine.

Plans are now in the works for DMX and Durst to lay their vocals on the DJ Premier-produced track before the Thanksgiving holiday.

In January, DMX is supposed to head to Toronto to begin work on the film "Lazarus," the latest installment in "The Crow" movie series.

- By Shaheem Reid

November 12, 2001

Mack 10 Nabs Dre, Westside Connection Pals For Bang Or Ball

"Stayin' Alive" may not be the first song a hardcore rapper considers sampling, but Mack 10 expects the Dr. Dre-produced "Hate in Yo Eyes" - whose chorus plays off of the refrain of the Bee Gees disco classic - will be his biggest song ever. A catchy, driving song, "Hate in Yo Eyes" stands as the Inglewood rapper's most commercially viable release, straying from his typically abrasive sound.

"I'm already getting feedback from radio that it will be bigger than 'Backyard Boogie' and 'Foe Life,' " Mack 10 said, referring to his two biggest hits. "Radio stations that never f---ed with me before are just digging the record."

Mack 10 will be releasing Bang or Ball, his first album on Cash Money Records, on December 4. Even though he's newly aligned with Cash Money - whose roster includes Juvenile, B.G., Big Tymers and Turk - don't expect to see cameos from them in the video for "Hate in Yo Eyes." Only CM's Lil' Wayne appears in the clip. Dr. Dre was unavailable due to his commitment to other projects.

"I didn't have time to wait for our schedules to be where we're on the same page," Mack said of Dre. "I had to get my video done. But he definitely called me and said that he was behind me 100 percent.

"It's not like I've got to sell my records by putting a whole bunch of rappers in my video just so everybody thinks I'm cool," he added.

At least some of Mack's cool comes from his incendiary work with Ice Cube and WC as the Westside Connection. The group's 1996 album, Bow Down, sold more than 1 million copies and had the trio defending their coast's brand of rap music, among other topics.

The Westside Connection reconvene on Bang or Ball with "Connect for Life," a Mannie Fresh-produced track that features crooner Butch Cassidy on the chorus. In addition to being the album's second single, it is also one of the collection's strongest songs. Even though the Connection rarely records together due to Cube's movie career and other scheduling concerns, the trio sound as sharp as ever on "Connect for Life."

"I think we have a magic chemistry," he said. "There are certain groups that are just like that, like Dre and Snoop. Together, they're just the sh--. Westside Connection, it's just magic when we're together. We're to the point where we don't even have to rehearse for shows. We know each other."

During the recording of Bang or Ball, Mack 10 got to know Mannie Fresh, Cash Money's resident beatsmith. In an era when many rappers use a different producer for every song on their albums, Bang or Ball features 15 Mannie Fresh-produced beats and one each from Dr. Dre, Ron ("Work") and QDIII ("Let It Be Known").

Working extensively with the diverse Fresh allowed Mack 10 to expand his sound and become a more rounded artist than he was on his last effort, 2000's The Paper Route, which sold less than Mack's other three albums. Because of this artistic maturity, Bang or Ball is one of those rare albums that could be accepted equally in the West and the South.

"It's got a bigger range," Mack 10 said. "This is more of a complete album. The Paper Route, that was one of my favorite albums. But a lot of people's fans get spoiled. Once you create a certain sound and do things a certain way, that's what they want you to do forever. Sometimes, you've got to change with the times a little bit. I keep a little bit of the gangster sh-- in there, like the old school sh--. But you don't want anybody listening to your album to think that it came out in '95."

- By Soren Baker


Memphis Bleek's Got Beanie Sigel's Back, Onstage And Onscreen

 Though Memphis Bleek's long-talked-about album with Beanie Sigel may be on hold, Bleek showed some Roc-A-Fella "Crew Love" for his main man Thursday night at Beans' show at Broker's nightclub.

A short while before Bleek would make a surprise appearance onstage with his friend, Beans spoke of a time when they were not so unified ? on film, at least. He said that his labelmate stabs him in the back in the upcoming movie "State Property," due December 7.

"He crosses me," said a snickering Sigel, who didn't want to give away too much about the film. Beanie stars in the movie along with his real-life rap group, also named State Property.

"The character is based on any cat in the street who's just sick of living the average life," he said. "[He's sick of being] the average hustler, sitting on a hundred thousand, two hundred thou. He's a real true hustler who says, 'I want the world. I ain't settling for just crumbs.' "

During his hostile takeover, he and his squad get it on with a rival group of thugs run by Jay-Z and Damon Dash.

"It shows both sides to the game," Beanie explained. "The whole movement, the whole grind to the game. We ain't just shooting up, bang, bang. It shows us from starting up as little dudes, to flipping and taking over the whole city."

Two weeks ago in Philadelphia, it was apparent that Beanie was the king of his hometown. During a concert put on by radio station Power 99, Jadakiss was showered with boos when he dissed Sigel with a freestyle.

Beanie, who lives near the First Union Center, the show's venue, said he was immediately bombarded with calls while trying to enjoy some movies at the crib.

"I finally got somebody that was calm like, 'This weirdo just came at you,' " he recalled. "I was like, 'What did he say?' The calls were coming back, 'You gotta come down.' You know I had to do that. I came out."

And so Sigel went over and retaliated later in the show.

Sigel and Jada went at each other a few months ago with freestyles on mixtapes. Soon after, the two declared that the rhyme beef was over.

"I was on that notion too," Sigel said of the apparently dead truce. "I don't really got no beef with the boy, so he could go to war by himself. He's rapping. He's really just a rapper. I ain't no rapper. Before it even go too [far], ... leave it alone. Do even go there."

Sigel and the rest of State Property ? whose lineup includes Freeway, Oschino and Sparks, and Chris & Neef (a.k.a. the Young Guns) ? talk about living in within the hood's concrete battle lines on their self-titled LP.

Due December 11 and featuring the songs "International Hustler," "Sun Don't Shine," "Don't Realize," "Hood I Know," "Trouble Man" and the first single, "Rock the Mic," the record will also double as a soundtrack to the movie.

"Right now I'm focusing on getting my people out there," Beanie said. His Criminal Records, distributed by Roc-A-Fella, will release the project.

"I [don't] want my boys to sit," said Beanie, explaining why the album's release date was pushed up from early 2002. "I just want my boys out there early instead of waiting. They be sitting on the label for years? Nah. We gonna do this [album] with this movie. Every quarter Criminal Records is gonna come out with [at least] an EP."

When Beanie and Bleek took the stage, it was pure pandemonium. The patrons of the club were packed so tight the place felt like a sauna.

As the sweat-soaked duo unleashed an onslaught of their street-heralded discography, like "Who Want What," "I Don't Do Much," "Is That Your Chick (The Lost Verses)" and "You, Me, Him and Her," plus a couple of Beanie dis freestyles directed at Jadakiss, things were brought to a halt around the 45-minute mark.

"Grab the mics out of their hands," one of the bouncers ordered to a colleague. A security guard had his leg injured when trying to break up a melee in the audience. Unaware of the fallout, Beanie tried to continue before the music was cut off.

If it were up to him, he would've gone all night ? or at least another few minutes. "Me and my man onstage, we'll give them a hour, easy," Beanie said before the show. "We got records, yo!"

East Orange, New Jersey, police said they are still investigating the night's fracas. In other police matters, Beanie is due back in court on December 14 in Philadelphia for assault charges stemming from a July 13 arrest.

- By Shaheem Reid

November 9, 2001

Tupac DVD Due In 2002

"Thug Angel: The Life and Times of Tupac Shakur" will be the first DVD title released by QD3 Entertainment under a new deal with Image Entertainment. Tentatively due in March 2002, "Thug Angel" features all new footage and interviews to tell the story of the controversial late hip-hop artist.

QD3, founded by Quincy D. Jones III, the son of music pioneer Quincy Jones, expects to release 12 urban and hip-hop related home video titles through its production agreement with Image. The company boasts an extensive library of live performances and never-before-seen footage covering every genre from old school to gangster rap, and promises to take "a closer look at the evolution of hip-hop by examining the creative forces that have shaped the genre."

A Source Awards producer of the year nominee, Jones III has worked with such artists as Ice Cube, TLC's T Boz, LL Cool J, and Brandy. He also won the ASCAP Composers Award for his work on the "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" sitcom, and was nominated, along with George Clinton, for composing the theme to Eddie Murphy's animated Fox series "The PJ's."

Jones III is currently writing and producing for the debut DreamWorks album from Tru Life, formerly of the Christian rap act the Cross Movement.

- By Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.


Jackson's 'Invincible' Bows At No. 1 In U.K.

Michael Jackson yesterday (Nov. 4) proved that he's "Invincible" in the U.K. His Epic album "Invincible" went straight to the top of the country's album chart, earning him his seventh British No. 1 album as a solo artist. Jackson also has three songwriting credits in the top-40 of the U.K. singles chart.

The album's lead single, "You Rock My World," is at No. 16, while Alien Ant Farm's rock version of Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" at No. 17. They are now joined at No. 21 by 2Pac's latest posthumous hit, "Letter 2 My Unborn" (Interscope/Polydor), which samples another track from Jackson's "Bad" album, "Liberian Girl."

Switching to singles, Afroman's "Because I Got High" (Universal Island) started a third week as the U.K.'s No. 1. The rest of the top-5 of the chart were all new entries, with dance crossover "Rapture" by IIO (Data) new at No. 2. Pronounced "eye-o," the group is the creation of producer Markus Moore, and the track, from the upcoming "Poetica" album, features vocals by 18-year-old Nadia. Alicia Keys, climbing 11-7 on the album chart with "Songs in A Minor" (J), made her U.K. singles chart debut with "Fallin'" at No. 3.

Jennifer Lopez debuted at No. 4 with her recent Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper "I'm Real" (Epic) and modern rock favorites the Dandy Warhols scored their first U.K. top-10 single, as a reissue of "Bohemian Like You" (Capitol) hit No. 5. The track has had a recent boost in profile via its use in a TV commercial for telephone company Vodaphone, and "Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth," a No. 13 hit in May 1998, as their biggest U.K. hit ever.

The album chart contained several other big new entries, with U.K. R&B trio Mis-teeq new at No. 3 with "Lickin' on Both Sides" (Inferno/Telstar), a debut set containing the group's three top-10 singles. Backstreet Boys' "Greatest Hits Chapter One" (Jive) entered at No. 5, followed by tenor Russell Watson at No. 6 with "Encore" (Decca), his follow-up to "The Voice," which has sold 1 million copies in the U.K. alone, according to his label.

Across Europe, Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (Parlophone) starts a sixth week at No. 1 on Music & Media's Eurochart Hot 100 Singles tally, on which the top five titles are unchanged. Her album, "Fever," begins a fourth week in control of the European Top 100 Albums chart, on which Interscope's "Moulin Rouge" soundtrack rockets 20-5.

- By Paul Sexton, London

November 8, 2001

Ginuwine's Career Peaking Just When He Needed It Most

You know the cliché about seeing the light at the end of the tunnel? The saying hasn't been so trite for Ginuwine - it's all he's had to go on for a while.

In recent years, he lost his father to suicide and his mother to cancer. In August, his good friend Aaliyah died in a plane crash.

But the singer - who's mulling over offers to tour with Mary J. Blige or Jagged Edge - said that after living with a cloud over his head, he's finally coming out of the darkness by being inspired by his children and achieving success.

" 'Differences' is the biggest song in my career," he said of his latest single. "It beat 'Pony,' it beat 'So Anxious' and 'None of Ur Friends Business' as far as popularity and spins. So it's a blessing. I'm happy that I'm able to even see it. I'm glad it's finally working out for me."

The love ballad, in which Ginuwine declares that his lover has caused him to change his life around, is #3 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks after peaking at #1 a few weeks ago. The sex symbol attributes much of the song's success to its Hype Williams-directed video.

"Actually, the game plan going into [the shoot] was [to] talk to God," he said of the special effects-heavy clip. "Me and Hype Williams got together, [and] he was like, 'Look man this gotta be heartfelt. People gotta know you mean this.' He was saying, 'The only way they're gonna know you're meaning it is if you close your eyes and you just talk to God.' I was very skeptical about it 'cause I was just [in front of] a green screen all day. I just had to imagine - he was just telling me what is gonna be where."

He had to be just as trusting in the hands of Dave Myers on the set of Missy Elliott's "Take Away." One of that video's enhanced additions is a scene where an image of Aaliyah appears on top of water in a well.

"It's very touching," Ginuwine said. "Doing that video, we got teary-eyed and everything. ... It's definitely a tragedy. Only thing I hate, ... I feel so sorry about the way it was. She died on the plane. That's a horrible death. I just can't imagine that, and I ride planes all the time. That's the most horrifying death in the world, and then after that happens the World Trade Center happens with people and them planes."

Through all the craziness, the singer says his biggest source of strength has been his 10-year-old son and 6-month-old daughter.

"There's been a lot of times I wanted to clock out," he said, "but you think about them and everything and you're like, 'Wow.' You would hurt them like your dad hurt you. That's why I named my album The Life, because it's appreciating life and not taking it for granted and living it day by day. It's good to plan, but you just never know."

While Ginuwine has picked up several lessons from his experiences, one matter still has him perplexed - which song to go with for his album's third single. He's either going to go with a Timbaland-produced remix of "That's How I Get Down," featuring Bubba Sparxxx and Petey Pablo, "Tribute to a Woman" or "Why Not Me."

"It's a good situation what I'm going through, but we gotta hurry up and pick," he said. "I'm trying to wait to see whatever song is next to hit me."

- By Shaheem Reid


Faith Evans Gives Men So Much On New Album

No wonder Faith Evans gets a little snippy when she sings about a man playing with her emotions on "You Gets No Love." The Newark, New Jersey, native gives them so much.

"She's a lover and a friend," she sings on an interlude off her third album, Faithfully, due in stores Tuesday (November 6). "She'll cook and clean and wash your clothes."

Evans further displays her dream-woman characteristics on the ballad "Do Your Time." Promising to stay true to an incarcerated boyfriend, she offers encouragement via a letter. "I'm writing with sincerity/ Just to make you understand what you mean to me," she croons. "And I can't wait till you come home/ But I need for you to be strong."

She's equally on fire with passion on "Burnin' Up." Singing over the Neptunes' vintage dance-inducing string plucks and drum thumps, Faith pleads with a man she feels is destined to be her soulmate to recognize that they belong together.

"You come with the sweetest thing to say/ And put the sun in my day," she declares as the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams beatboxes on the breakdown. "I really wish you would rescue me." Bad Boy MC Loon - who also appears with P. Diddy on the album version of "You Gets No Love" - uses his conversational flow to drop lines that teeter on the line between conceit and confidence.

Alas, Faith finally catches herself someone to call boo but ends up crying over him after a while. "Love Can't Hide" is a slow jazzy number where the 28-year-old pines away with tears on her pillow after her "dreams of paradise" have been vanquished.

The soulful siren finally triumphs on "Brand New Man." Although she has to shake off some hate by a friend who steals away an ex, she finds happiness with another love interest. How does she persevere? By following her own advice: "If you ever been hurt/ Keep your head up."

In real life, Evans has found happiness with her second husband, Todd Russaw. The couple served as co-executive producers on Faithfully along with P. Diddy.

Faithfully track list, according to Bad Boy:
  • "Intro"
  • "Alone in This World"
  • "You Gets No Love" (featuring P. Diddy and Loon)
  • "Burnin' Up" (featuring Loon)
  • "I Love You"
  • "Everything"
  • "Back to Love"
  • "Faithful"
  • "Do Your Time"
  • "Don't Cry"
  • "Faithfully"
  • "Brand New Man"
  • "Ghetto"
  • "Where We Stand"
  • "Heaven Only Knows"
  • "Love Can't Hide"
  • "Can't Believe" (featuring Carl Thomas)
  • "Love Song"

- By Shaheem Reid

November 7, 2001

Outkast Bring 'Whole World' Into Focus For Hits LP

Known for their psychedelic, funk-infused hip-hop rhythms and all-around off-the-cuff attire, Outkast, with four studio albums under their belt, are just about ready for a greatest-hits record.

Unlike the typical lists of memorable hits put together for most musical collages, Big Boi & Dre Present Outkast will feature songs that make fans not only shimmy and shake, but also stop and think.

The message Outkast hope to get across takes form on the album's first single, "The Whole World," which is one of three new songs on the collection. A "The Wiz"-meets-"Alice in Wonderland" musical extravaganza, "The Whole World" is half tripped-out melodies and half social commentary.

" 'The Whole World' is like a new-school jam, you know. It's like ... put it like this, it's all about that swang. That's what it's about this season," Outkast's Andre 3000 offered. "It touches on issues - serious ones and playful."

With a chorus reminiscent of an upbeat, self-esteem-boosting elementary-school anthem, Outkast sing, " 'Cause the whole world loves it when you don't get down/ And the whole world loves it when you make that sound/ And the whole world loves it when you're in the new/ And the whole world loves it when you sing the blues."

While the chorus may transport listeners to a place where there are purple skies and it never rains and pink teddy bears dance pirouettes, it's Big Boi's lyrical finale that brings the song home, as it reflects on the recent tragedies in the U.S.

"Basically it was a time, right after the terrorist attacks, that every time you turned on the TV, you would see a big pile of rubble, steam and big cranes," Big Boi said, "and at one point I thought it was really desensitizing people to what happened. They kept showing things over and over again, which is like trying to keep people down." Hence, the hook that prompted the song. Even more prominent than the numbing effect was the need to counterbalance those who indulge in hatorade.

" 'The whole world loves it when you don't get down' is basically [saying that] people like to see you doing bad, whether it's terrorists or republicans or democrats, government officials, whoever," Big Boi explained, "so you, as an individual, have got to take it upon yourself to really push forward, 'cause there is always going to be negativity. But with positivity, it cancels it out."

Big Boi & Dre Present Outkast arrives in stores on December 4, following the release of Even in Darkness by the Dungeon Family. That compilation album, which features Outkast, Goodie Mob and Organized Noize, comes out November 6.

The track list for Big Boi & Dre Present Outkast:

  • "Funkin' Around"
  • "Ain't No Thang"
  • "So Fresh, So Clean"
  • "Rosa Parks"
  • "The Whole World" (featuring Killer Mike)
  • "Aquemini"
  • "B.O.B."
  • "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik"
  • "Crumblin' Erb"
  • "Ms. Jackson"
  • "Player's Ball"
  • "Elevators (Me & You)"
  • "Spottieottiedopaliscious" (original version) (featuring Sleepy Brown)
  • "Git Up, Git Out" (featuring Cee-Lo & Big Gipp of Goodie Mob)
  • "Movin' Cool" (featuring Joi Gilliam-Gipp)

- By Elon D. Johnson


R. Kelly, Alicia Keys Get In The Ring For 'Ali' Soundtrack

R. Kelly believes he can fly, and now he wants to sting like a bee.

The R&B star has written two tracks about Muhammad Ali that will be the centerpiece of the soundtrack for the highly anticipated film about the boxing legend.

The "Ali" soundtrack, due November 27, includes Kelly's "The World's Greatest" and "Hold On," along with new Ali-inspired material from Alicia Keys ("Fight") and former boxer Everlast ("The Greatest").

"The World's Greatest," a patriotic ballad driven by the beat of a marching drum, is the album's first single, according to a spokesperson for Interscope Records.

Kelly, who scored with the "Space Jam" soundtrack hit "I Believe I Can Fly" in 1996, recently shot a video for "The World's Greatest" in his hometown of Chicago with director Bille Woodruff (Backstreet Boys, Toni Braxton).

"Ali" was directed by Michael Mann ("The Insider," "Heat") and stars Will Smith in the title role. Jamie Foxx and Jon Voight co-star in the movie, due December 25.

Other soundtrack contributors include Angie Stone, Bilal and newcomer Truth Hurts, who has a cameo in the film and covers the Jerry Butler song "For Your Precious Love."

Aretha Franklin's classic "Ain't No Way" and Al Green's rendition of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" are included, as well.

"Ali" soundtrack track list, according to Interscope:
  • R. Kelly - "The World's Greatest"
  • Alicia Keys - "Fight"
  • R. Kelly - "Hold On"
  • Al Green featuring Booker T. and the MG's - "A Change Is Gonna Come"
  • Aretha Franklin - "Ain't No Way"
  • Bilal - "Sometimes"
  • Angie Stone - "20 Dollars"
  • Truth Hurts - "For Your Precious Love"
  • David Elliot - "Bring It on Home to Me"
  • Everlast - "The Greatest"
  • Shawn Kane - "Mistreated"
  • Salif Keita - "Tomorrow"
  • The Watchtower Four - "All Along the Watchtower"
  • Martin Tillman - "Odessa"
  • Lisa Gerrard and Pieter Bourke - "See the Sun"

- By Corey Moss

November 6, 2001

Jadakiss, Bubba Sparxxx 'Ain't Ready' For Ruff Ryders Single

The Ruff Ryder kin are heading down to Atlanta to extend some family love to Bubba Sparxxx.

With director Chris Robinson at the helm, Jadakiss and Bubba Sparxxx will shoot the video for their rhyme exchange, "They Ain't Ready," on November 6 and 7. The clip will feature Jada and Bubba introducing each other to their respective inner circles and lifestyles, according to a source in the Ruff Ryders camp.

Produced by Timbaland, the track is the next single off of the Ruff Ryders compilation Ryde or Die Volume III: In the R We Trust. The album is due out on December 18, the source said.

Early last month, the company contemplated putting out Eve's "You, Me, and She" as the follow-up to the current offering, the remix to Jadakiss' "We Gonna Make It" featuring Eve and Styles.

Styles, who's gearing up for the early 2002 release of his solo LP, A Gangster and a Gentleman, will be featured on Ryde or Die Volume III with a solo effort called "Shoot 'Em in the Head" and a collaboration with Tha Eastsidaz entitled "Eastside Ryders."

"It's harder going solo," Styles said, adding that he's learned by observing everything his LOX groupmate Jadakiss has gone through with his solo album, Kiss Tha Game Goodbye.

"It's a lot more work," Styles said. "A lot more sh-- is on your back. Now they're just going to say something about you [instead of your whole group]. It's good, because I think we're going to be bigger when we do it as a group again."

Like the remaining third of the LOX, Sheek, Styles has been rampaging with freestyles and a handful of songs on the underground mixtape circuit in hopes to build a buzz for album.

"People always compare us, so you gotta go hard," he said. "We're brothers, so we don't really care. They heard Kiss' album, now they want to scream on me. When they hear my album, they're gonna scream on Sheek. It's a natural thing to do. That's how the game works."

The Yonkers, New York, native, who once rhymed that he was a "positive and negative n---a," said his album will reflect his dual characteristics.

"That's why I named my album A Gangster and a Gentleman," he said. "I feel there's two sides to every coin. I try to be truthful and I'm a good person, but I've also got a negative side. I don't feel guilty about either one. Whatever I do, I feel is justifiable. Maybe not in other peoples' eyes, but within myself, I feel it's justifiable. Maybe I might get a little violent, but that's how it goes sometimes."

Although he's still putting the project together, he said producers such as PK, Swizz Beatz, Rockwilder, and DJ Twins provided beats for songs on his album, including the title cut, "We All Gonna Die" and "The Ghost,' which is getting play on mixtapes now.

"That's basically a joint describing why I call myself 'the Ghost,' " he said. "I just wanted to take the time out to explain why, kind of get in-depth. I'm just a deep, spiritual person. I feel like I'm moving when I'm not moving. I just be vibin'. I just feel out of this world sometimes."

Here on Earth, the LOX are also concentrating on starting their own label, D-Block, with young-gun line-thrower J-Hood as their leadoff hitter.

"It will be in the future," Styles explained. "It really means 'discipline,' 'dedication' and 'determination,' things of that sort. We're keeping it quiet, though. You don't want to say too much sh-- before it happens.

"[J-Hood] is 17 or 18," he continued. "We had him since he was 12. That's what it takes. You've got to get to know a n---a. You don't become family overnight."

- By Shaheem Reid


Alicia Keys, Eve Help Out A 'Brotha' For Angie Stone LP

Angie Stone has collaborated with soul sistas Alicia Keys and Eve for a remix of her latest single, "Brotha."

Stone, Keys and Kerry "Crucial" Brothers produced the remix, which J Records liked so much that it rushed to include the track on Stone's new album, due Tuesday. Mahogany Soul, the follow-up to Stone's 1999 debut, Black Diamond, also features guest appearances by Musiq Soulchild and Calvin.

Stone, Keys and Eve plan to shoot a video for the "Brotha" remix, according to a spokesperson at J. The clip for the original version features cameos by Will Smith, Luther Vandross, Sinbad, Raphael Saadiq and Larenz Tate, and it honors male leaders like Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Marvin Gaye, Muhammad Ali and Colin Powell.

Stone launched her musical career as Angie B in the '80s female rap trio Sequence and went on to write songs for the likes of Mary J. Blige and SWV. She's done stints as a background singer for Lenny Kravitz and D'Angelo, and both of them paid her back by producing tracks on Black Diamond.

So far this year, the singer has recorded with Macy Gray  and Saadiq.

Stone kicks off a six-week tour with Maxwell on Thursday.

Maxwell/Angie Stone tour dates, according to Columbia Records:
  • 11/8 - Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
  • 11/10 - Oakland, CA @ Paramount Theatre
  • 11/11 - San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
  • 11/13 - San Diego, CA @ Copley Symphony Hall
  • 11/14 - Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Auditorium
  • 11/15 - Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Auditorium
  • 11/18 - Las Vegas, NV @ Aladdin Theatre
  • 11/20 - Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
  • 11/23 - Cincinnati, OH @ Cincinnati Music Hall
  • 11/25 - Columbus, OH @ Palace Theatre
  • 11/27 - Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Centre
  • 11/28 - Cleveland, OH @ Cleveland Music Hall
  • 11/30 - Memphis, TN @ Orpheum Theatre
  • 12/1 - New Orleans, LA @ Saenger Theatre
  • 12/2 - New Orleans, LA @ Saenger Theatre
  • 12/4 - Houston, TX @ Aerial Theater at Bayou Palace
  • 12/5 - Houston, TX @ Aerial Theater at Bayou Palace
  • 12/7 - Austin, TX @ Austin Music Hall
  • 12/8 - Dallas, TX @ Bronco Bowl
  • 12/10 - Birmingham, AL @ Boutwell Auditorium
  • 12/11 - Greensboro, NC @ War Memorial Auditorium
  • 12/12 - North Charleston, SC @ North Charleston Performing Arts Center
  • 12/14 - Columbia, SC @ Township Auditorium
  • 12/15 - Richmond, VA @ Landmark Theatre

- By Corey Moss

November 5, 2001

Big Pun on Film: Late Rapper's Life Celebrated In New Documentary

Still Not a Player, a documentary on the life of Christopher Rios -- better know to hip-hop fans as Big Pun -- is in production and scheduled for a DVD/VHS release in early 2002.

Pun, who died of a heart attack at age twenty-eight in February 2000, left behind a short legacy with 1998's Capital Punishment and the posthumous release Yeeeah Baby. Wyclef Jean, RZA and Noreaga were among the collaborators on Pun's first release. For the follow-up, the Bronx rapper teamed up with fellow Latino rapper Fat Joe.

The documentary will feature interviews with those who worked with and knew Pun, including RZA, Raekwon, Ice T and Nas. Clips from Pun's interviews and work will appear in the film. Pun's wife, Liza Rios, will also provide commentary.

The film is being directed by Marcos Antonio Miranda, who directed the VHS action film Blazin', which featured Fat Joe and Cuban Link.

- By Christina Saraceno


Michael Jackson To Greet Fans At Times Square Record Store

Michael Jackson will make his very first in-store appearance next week at the Virgin Megastore in Times Square.

Epic Records announced Friday (November 2) that the reclusive pop superstar will appear on Wednesday at 3 p.m. to promote his recently released Invincible, which is widely expected to debut at #1 next week.

Jackson will also promote his first all-new studio album in 10 years with a November 13 television special on CBS. The show will feature excerpts from Jackson's star-studded 30th anniversary concerts at Madison Square Garden in September.

The CBS special kept Jackson from appearing in more than just the finale of ABC's November 1 broadcast of the "United We Stand - What More Can I Give" concert staged in Washington D.C. last month.

Jackson asked ABC to cut his performances from their special at the last minute because he feared CBS would push back the date of their special, an ABC spokesperson told the Associated Press.

The singer spent several years and millions of dollars on Invincible, which features guest appearances by Carlos Santana, late rapper Notorious B.I.G. and producers Rodney Jerkins, Teddy Riley and Babyface.

- By Corey Moss

November 2, 2001

Timbaland: New Album Is My Last As Artist

Although Timbaland and Magoo's long delayed sophomore set, "Indecent Proposal," (Blackground/Virgin) is now set for a Nov. 20 release, it may turn out to be the duo's last. "It's a good album, but I'm not happy with it," says a frustrated Timbaland, who declares the set will be his final one as an artist. "I turned it in a year and a half ago, and it's just coming out. And now we're in a recession... it doesn't make sense."

Timbaland, who has drawn wide acclaim for his production work with Missy Elliott, the late Aaliyah, and Ginuwine, admits, "my first love is producing. I just didn't have the control that I wanted [with this album]. I wasn't able to oversee things the way I would have liked to in terms of release dates, etc."

The 15-track "Indecent Proposal," named after the 1993 film starring Robert Redford and Demi Moore, features guest appearances from Aaliyah, Ludacris, Jay-Z, and Tweet, among others. Earlier this summer, a video was released for the single "Drop," which topped out at No. 5 on Billboard's Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart. Second single "All Ya'll" is No. 6 on the same tally this week.

According to Magoo, the delay was due in part to Blackground changing parent labels from Atlantic to Virgin. "It wasn't a matter of us not wanting to go back into the studio," he says. "Our label was leaving Atlantic at the time and it took a while for them to do that. Once they finally did, we started work on the new album."

Prior to interviewing Timbaland, Billboard asked Magoo whether a solo project was in his future. "I've never seriously thought about doing a solo album," he answered. "I've thought about it in passing, like if Tim decided he wanted to stop rapping. It would be really difficult for me to think about doing a record without him. We've been together since 1990, so [going solo] would be weird. Tim and Magoo is more a friendship than it is a group. Tim and Magoo is just two friends who started rapping together and became a group."

When told of Timbaland's dismay over the protracted release of the new album, Blackground president Jomo Hankerson said, "we've gone through our ups and downs but we're plodding ahead full steam with this project. I'm confident that he's given me an album that I feel I can go five or six singles deep with, and this is what we do in the music business."

"Indecent Proposal" is the follow-up to 1997's "Welcome to Our World," which featured the single "Up Jumps Da Boogie," a No. 8 hit on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and a No. 12 entry on The Billboard Hot 100.

- 


No Surprise - DMX Is Billboard Top Dog

Although his place as hip-hop's top dog is a matter of opinion, no one can argue with DMX's affinity for being #1. Like all his previous LPs have done, the rapper's fourth album, The Great Depression, will debut atop the Billboard 200 albums chart.

The Great Depression sold almost 440,000 copies in its first week, according to SoundScan figures released Wednesday (October 31). While the numbers are impressive - nearly 175,000 more than Incubus' Morning View, which will debut at #2 - they're low compared to the Yonkers, New York, MC's last album, 1999's ... And Then There Was X, which neared the 700,000 mark in its first week.

The Dave Matthews Band's Live in Chicago 12.19.98, will debut at #6 on sales of more than 130,000 copies. It looks like the odds of Enya's A Day Without Rain leaving the uppermost reaches of the chart are slimmer than the chances of a downpour in the Sahara. The LP, which will drop a spot to #3 next week, has been a top-10 mainstay ever since September 11, bolstered by the soothing single "Only Time."

Familiar faces round out the remainder of the top 10, though most albums will take a step back from their previously held positions. Last week's #1, the patriotic compilation God Bless America, featuring tracks by Bruce Springsteen, Celine Dion and Mariah Carey, will fall to #4. Ja Rule will slip two spaces to #5 with Pain Is Love, and Nickelback's two-spot drop puts Silver Side Up at #7. Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory will be right behind at #8, followed by Usher's 8701 at #9 and the Totally Hits 2001 compilation at #10.

Ozzy Osbourne's Down to Earth, which debuted at #4 last week, will skid to #15, though Southern California pop-punks Lit will fall the farthest of any artist in the top 100. Their third album, Atomic, will plummet from #36 to #92, selling less than half the number of copies it did the week before.

Bush's fourth album, Golden State, will debut at #22. Snoop Doggy Dogg's Death Row's Greatest Hits, featuring "Gin & Juice" and "Who Am I (What's My Name?)," will debut at #28. West Coast hip-hoppers Dilated Peoples are widening some eyes with their second major-label LP, Expansion Team, which debuts at #36.

No Limit soldier C-Murder's C-P-3.Com will debut at #45, just above the Cranberries' Wake up and Smell the Coffee at #46.

Other notable debuts include Reba McEntire's Greatest Hits Volume III - I'm a Survivor at #18, Chant-happy New Ager Enigma's LSD - Love, Sensuality and Devotion at #29 and the holiday compilation Now That's What I Call Christmas! at #30.

- By Joe D'Angelo

November 1, 2001

Outkast's Dungeon Family Collective Seeks Spotlight With Darkness

Outkast rode the Stankonia express to multiplatinum heights, and now the rest of the group's Dungeon Family is hopping aboard.

The Dungeon Family - Outkast, Goodie Mob, Witchdoctor, Slimm Calhoun, Sleepy Brown, Cool Breeze, Backbone, Big Rube and producers Organized Noize - will release their debut album, Even in Darkness, November 20.

Members of the collective have big hopes for the disc. "We've never really gotten a lot of the commercial fame that a lot of other groups get," said Dungeon Family co-founder and Organized Noize leader Rico Wade. "We've always been [over]shadowed. Outkast wasn't even put on the cover of The Source yet for [Stankonia]. The South is in the light now, but even before people were on the South, we still were the sh--. Even in darkness we can shine."

The first step toward shining a light on the group will be the lead single, "Trans DF Express." Cee-Lo, Andre 3000, Big Gipp, Backbone, Big Boi and Sleepy Brown are featured on the cut, which Wade said will likely remind listeners of Outkast's most recent smash.

"It's coming after 'So Fresh, So Clean,' with Sleepy singing on the hook," he said. "Cee-Lo opens it up, and then Dre comes behind him, rapping. You can't beat that with a bat. We've got two aces coming at you off the top, and ain't nobody messing with that."

Wade also conceived the video for the cut. "It's like a Japanese bullet train going through the city of Atlanta," he said. "The first car to the train is a party car. We got Cee-Lo looking back-in-the-day, like at the 'Fresh Fest' [concerts], and breakdancing is going on in his car. The second car is Andre. He kind of set his car up like a restaurant car. We've got him doing a scene from 'Lady and the Tramp.' You know the scene where they kiss with the spaghetti.

"The next car is Big Gipp and Backbone," he continued. "It's like an A-Town shake club. We got a catwalk, they got 20 naked girls just dancing around. At the end is Big Boi. He actually climbs out on top of the train."

Another cut, "Emergency," will also be one of the most explosive songs on the collection. "It's like a rock, mosh-pit [song]," Wade said. "The hook is like, 'Ah-yeah, we crunk now.' We're explaining what it's like to be crunk for real. But the beat is so ghetto. People that love Outkast are really going to appreciate it because you've never heard anything like that."

Another sonic revolution takes place on "Crooked Booty," which features a complete horn section and the singing of both Cee-Lo and Andre 3000. The latter croons, "We don't speak proper English/ When we walk, we strut our stuff/ We act like life is gravy/ Even though we know it's rough." "It's theatrical," Wade said. "It reminds me of Meatloaf."

Elsewhere, Big Rube, Big Gipp, Khujo, Cee-Lo, an Atlanta-based choir and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra combine for "Excalibur," while Witchdoctor and Big Rube pair up on "What Is Rap." "Six Minutes" will play off of a line from Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew's classic single "The Show."

The Dungeon Family made their first major mark with Outkast's debut single, 1993's "Player's Ball." Since then, Outkast and Goodie Mob have released a string of gold and platinum albums, while Organized Noize have worked with TLC, En Vogue and others.

A Dungeon Family album was supposed to come out a couple of years ago, but because members of the group were signed to different labels, contractual problems made it difficult to pursue. The delay may have been beneficial, though.

"I'm glad it took awhile," Wade said. "On Outkast's last album, we did the 'So Fresh, So Clean.' We knew exactly what we were doing by doing that old Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994) sound. We feel blessed that we didn't wear that sh-- out back then, that we didn't destroy and pimp ourselves. Now, we can capitalize on our stuff."

To that end, Organized Noize will be releasing an album from the duo ChamDon early next year via their own M.O.H. (Men of Honor) Entertainment. They will also be featured as producers on the forthcoming albums from Sleepy Brown, Wu-Tang Clan, Bubba Sparxxx, Ludacris, Raphael Saadiq, Joi and the Truth Hurts. Plus, Wade said they're working on the score to Will Smith's movie "Ali."

But what has Wade really excited is the forthcoming Cee-Lo solo album, due next year.

"Everybody's waiting on Cee-Lo to do what he's supposed to do, to be the male Lauryn Hill," he said. "We've always known that. It's no secret. He's going to help take us to that 10-million mark. If everything goes right, our next album is going to be called Diamonds in the Rough."

- By Soren Baker, with additional reporting by Shaheem Reid


Jay-Z Sued For Copyright Infringement By 'Izzo' Singer

A copyright lawsuit was filed Wednesday (October 31) in Manhattan's Southern District Court against rapper Jay-Z and his various label affiliations by a woman claiming she wasn't paid for her contribution to Jigga's hit single "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)."

Demme Ulloa asserts that it's her singing "H to the Izzo/ V to the Izzay," the melodic hook used in the chorus of the track, though she never signed a contract and thus far hasn't seen a penny for her efforts, according to her lawyers. She's seeking a permanent injunction to stop further sales of the song, $1 million and damages relating to record sales to be determined by a judge. The copyright infringement action names Jay-Z (real name: Shawn Carter), the Island Def Jam Music Group, Universal Music and Roc-A-Fella Records, the label Jay founded with Damon Dash in 1996.

Spokespeople for Island Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella Records didn't return calls by press time.

Judge Barbara Jones scheduled a hearing for November 8, when she'll decide whether to grant the plaintiff's request to pull the CD single and Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, which contains the song, from stores until the dispute is resolved.

The Blueprint will be the #11 album on next week's Billboard 200 albums chart. It has sold upwards of 1.3 million copies, according to SoundScan.

- By Joe D'Angelo

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