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July 31, 2001
DMX Films Two Videos For Next LP
The dog is ready to bark again. DMX is gearing up for the September 25 release of his fourth album, now titled The Great Depression, with two video shoots in eight days. X, who's been relatively quiet since last summer (this is a guy who released his first three albums between May 1998 and December 1999, mind you), will film the clips for the first two singles, "Who We Be" and "You Must Be Blind," starting this week. "Who We Be" will be a two-day shoot and start production on Wednesday in Baltimore, according to Def Jam. J. Jesses Smith, who directed the upcoming movie "Crime Partners," featuring Snoop Dogg and Ja Rule, will helm the video, which is said to center around a barbecue. No word on the plot of "You Must Be Blind," which Joseph Khan is slated to direct on August 7 and 8 in New York. Kahn, who has worked with Destiny's Child, Aaliyah, Britney Spears and Mobb Deep, will also direct DMX in his next movie, "The Crow: Lazarus," which begins production early next year . DMX recently gave New Yorkers a taste of the upcoming LP, debuting the track "We Right Here" on Funkmaster Flex's Hot 97 radio show. The song includes the hook, "We right here, we ain't goin' anywhere." Def Jam says no decision has been made on which of the two singles will be released first. The album previously had the working title The Ears.
July 30, 2001
Bone Thugs Facing Lawsuit
From SOHH.com. After a sub-par album in 1999, not much has been heard from Bone Thugs N Harmony as a group. But last week, Comptown Records (also known as Ruthless Records) filed a lawsuit against the group for fraud, breach of contract and other claims. The label claims that Bone tried to 'withdraw from valid, enforceable and binding commitments that they freely made, and from which they have profited handsomely and, in fact, have been unjustly enriched at Comptown's expense'. In other words, Comptown claims that the group didn't inform them that they intended on not recording for them anymore. According to Comptown, Bone owes them several albums and is seeking declaratory relief, injunctive relieve, and restitution. As of press time, there has been no response from Bone's camp.
July 20, 2001
Royce Da 5'9" Gets Dissed
From SOHH.com. In 2001, you would think that Hip-Hop would be accepted along side any pop artist whose music is founded on Hip-Hop. Well, it looks like this not always the case. Royce The 5'9" was scheduled to perform alongside new pop artist Willa Ford at Pro-Voice concert in Central Park on Thursday (7/19). The two artists have a song together called, "I Wanna Be Bad", but promoters of the event did not want to take the chance of having Royce perform. According to Royce's management, the concert's main sponsor, Pantene hair products felt that the rapper would bring 'the wrong element' to the show. In an email, Royce's management, Cazzy Dog Management said, "We deplore the vilification of rap as "the wrong element," and we consider that view to be a narrow minded and ignorant one, Royce will comply. Royce has been appearing with Willa at most of her major concerts since spring, much to the delight of both of their fans. They enjoy a mutually beneficial business relationship and a good friendship that bridges musical styles, race and gender."
July 19, 2001
ODB Gets 2 to 4 Years
After being on suicide watch for the past 24 hours, ODB received a sentence of two to four years in New York State Prison. In April the rapper pleaded guilty to charges of cocaine and marijuana possession. The New York Supreme Court judge Joseph Grosso said that ODB would get 10 months credit for the time he's already served. Judge Grosso also asked corrections officials to decide whether ODB still needed drug or psychiatric treatment. ODB walked into the courtroom this morning with a bandage on his wrist. Officials at the psychiatric ward thought the rapper was attempting to commit suicide yesterday, hence the postponement of his sentencing, but the rapper's lawyer said the injury was an accident and there was no evidence for a suicide attempt.
July 18, 2001
Ja Rule Missing?
From SOHH.com. Fans, security, promoters, and even Def Jam were asking 'Where's Ja Rule?' The rapper was booked for a show at the Plaza of Nations in Vancouver last Saturday but never showed up causing the show to be cancelled. The gates were scheduled to open at 7 p.m. but never happened and by 7:30 p.m., Ja was ruled a no-show. Promoters told the fans that refunds were available but there is no word on if the show will happen at a later date. According to Allstar, neither the promoters or Ja's label, Def Jam were able to get a hold of the rapper or his management.
July 16, 2001
Beanie Sigel Arrested
From SOHH.com. It looks like Beanie Sigel is really out there to show folks 'What A Thug About'. The rapper was arrested Friday in Philadelphia on a warrant for his arrest due to an altercation with Frank Ferrer on Sigel St earlier this month. According to police, Ferrer was driving on the 2100 block of Sigel St. on July 5, when he came upon a group in his Ford F-150 blocking his way. The group was yelling at him and became upset when he honked at them to get out of the way. Beanie then pulled his Bentley in front of the truck, blocking any way out. When Ferrer got out of his truck, he was jumped and suffered a fractured rib, an injury to his right eye and a concussion. He was treated for his injuries at St. Agnes Medical Center. Beanie was arrested and charged with aggravated and simple assault after he allegedly participated in the fight by kicking and punching Ferrer. Beanie was also arrested back in February on assault charges after he allegedly poured a drink a woman and threatened her with a gun. He was charged with simple assault, terrorist threats, recklessly endangering another person and weapons possessions. The charges were later dropped after the woman failed to show up for court.
Poetic of the Gravediggaz Passes Away
From SOHH.com. After battling metastatic colon cancer for more than two years, Poetic of The Gravediggaz passed away on Sunday July 15 at 1:45 pm in California. He was hospitalized earlier this week due to kidney failure. When doctors put the rapper on dialysis it did not work and he was given several hours to live. He is survived by his wife Dee Dee. Dee Dee has been left with an enormous amount of bills due to Poetic's medication and hospitalization. Poetic or Dee Dee have not asked for any donations, but if fans are willing, the new Gravediggaz album, Nightmare in A-Minor, drops in August and would help their family immensely. In addition, fans wanting to send monetary donations, flowers and cards can do so by using this address: Make checks or money orders to:
Meridian Entertainment 1 Orchard Street Jersey City, NJ 07306
R.I.P. - Poetic aka Anthony Berkeley
July 13, 2001
DMX Indicted
From SOHH.com. It looks like that good ol town, Cheektowaga, NY doesn't want to leave poor DMX alone. The rapper was indicted for failing to show up to serve his jail sentence after he was found guilty of driving without license. When DMX arrived late to serve his 13-day sentence, he was slapped with the contempt of court charge. The rapper is likely to be arraigned on the new charges within the next two weeks. In addition to the contempt of court charge, DMX is also facing felony assault charge after he got into a scuffle with one of the guards at the Erie County Correctional Facility while serving his sentence. No word on when he head to court to answer to those charges.
July 12, 2001
D-12 #1 On Billboard Charts Again
From MTV.com. Proving turnabout is fair play, D12's Devils Night will knock Alicia Keys' Songs in A Minor from the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart next week one week after Keys did the same thing to Eminem's posse. The margin between the two albums' sales is slight, though both Keys and D12 sold just under 174,000 copies last week, according to SoundScan figures released Wednesday. D12 sold just over 300 copies more of their album than Keys did of hers. Master P progeny Lil' Romeo will have next week's highest debut, landing at #6 with his self-titled first album, which boasts the Jackson 5-sampling single "My Baby." Lil' Romeo's album sold just under 100,000 copies, but his single has sold over 427,000 copies in the 10 weeks since its release. The Wu-Tang Clan compilation album Wu-Chronicles: Vol. 2-Chapter II, featuring contributions from RZA, GZA and Method Man, among others, alongside non-Wu artists D'Angelo, DJ Spooky, Gang Starr and, from left field, indie bloozers the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, will be next week's second highest debut, coming in at #72 with more than 20,000 copies sold. Much of the chart's upper crust will remain static. Staind's Break the Cycle will continue its residency in the top 10, landing at #3 and adding another 154,000 copies to its seven-week total of more than 2 million copies sold. Atlanta soulsters Jagged Edge will drop a place to #4 with their third album, Jagged Little Thrill (135,000), while Destiny's Child's Survivor will advance one slot to #5 (125,000). "The Fast and the Furious" soundtrack will make the biggest leap within the top 10, moving from #10 to #7 by selling more than 95,000 copies. Blink-182's Take Off Your Pants and Jacket will hold on to the #8 spot for the second week in a row, the "Moulin Rouge" soundtrack will fall two places to #9 (90,000) and St. Lunatics' Free City will re-enter the top 10 at #10, moving up one spot from last week. Beanie Sigel's The Reason will drop from #5 to #13, Lonestar's I'm Already There will fall from #9 to #16 and 112 will jump one place with their Part III, marking the only new entries into the top 20.
July 11, 2001
Gravediggaz Return as a Duo
From SOHH.com. The Gravediggaz, minus the RZA and minimal Prince Paul, return as a duo for their new album, Nightmare In A-Minor. The album features production from Prince Paul, Prodigal Sunn, True Master, L.G., Shogun, 4th Disciple and Beretta 9 while Poetic (Grym Reaper) and Frukwan (Gatekeeper) handle the vocals. The group still goes on the dark side of life rhyming about things that may not brighten your day. "With our music, we dig and uncover certain things that may not always be pleasant, but we don't stop and wonder if our music will be accepted or rejected. It's what we want to leave behind. It's our contribution," said Poetic in a statement. As reported in April 1999, Poetic is battling metastatic colon cancer and was given four months to live when he was diagnosed. A couple of weeks ago, Poetic was hospitalized due to the cancer and is currently receiving dialysis for kidney failure. The Hip-Hop community is keeping Poetic and his family in their prayers. For up to date info on the Gravediggaz and Poetic's condition, check out http://www.geocities.com/gravediggazfans.
July 10, 2001
De La Soul Preparing Next LP
From SOHH.com. With a hit record and a Grammy nomination under their belt from "Ooh, Ooh", De La Soul is gearing up to release the second installment of their Art Official Intelligence series. According to NME.Com, Ghostface Killah, B-Real, Cee-Lo, and Slick Rick are all slated to be on the upcoming album tentatively due out in October. In addition to the release of the new album, De La also plans launch a 2nd Spitkicker Tour that will feature them as headliners, with Common, Pharoahe Monch and others to be announced at a later date.
July 6, 2001
Q-Tip To Sing On Next LP?
From MTV.com. Q-Tip has reinvented himself yet again on his second solo album, which is scheduled to hit stores in November. Tip who came with a more esoteric musical approach from his A Tribe Called Quest days on his first solo outing, Amplified (the hits "Breathe and Stop" and "Vivrant Thing" notwithstanding) is not classifying his next LP as hip-hop, according to a spokesperson. No stranger to incorporating jazz into his sound ATCQ sampled a plethora of jazz greats and even recorded a track titled "Jazz" the Abstract Poet embraces the genre more than ever on his still-untitled LP. A live band backs him throughout the album, and he'll be heard singing as much as rapping, the spokesperson said. Away from the mic, Q-Tip was last seen in December in the cast of the HBO cable film "Disappearing Acts." He completed a starring role in "Prison Song" in 1999; his label, Arista Records, had no word on when that movie would be released.
July 2, 2001
Rock Steady Crew Celebrate 24th Anniversary
From SOHH.com. For 24 years, the Rock Steady Crew have been repping Hip-Hop to the fullest. Now is that time of year to celebrate their contributions once more. The Rock Steady Crew 24th Anniversary will be jumping off Thursday July 26 and run until Sunday July 29th. Setting off the weekend on Thursday will be a free Celebrity Basketball Tournament benefiting the Nkiru Center for Education and Life. Also scheduled for Thursday are the preliminaries for the ITF Mixing Championships. On Friday, the crew will host The Rock Steady Crew Film Festival and the Damage Control B-Boy/B-Girl Battle. On Saturday, a free 5 hour concert will be held at Pier 54 and feature Tony Touch, Cucumber Slice, Afrika Bambaata, Fat Joe, Gangstarr, Freddy Foxx, The Arsonists, Thirstin Howl the 3rd, Cannibal Ox, Ahmad Jamal and others. On Saturday, the ITF Finals and emcee battle will be held and the followed by an after-party hosted by the Rock Steady Crew and the Lyricist Lounge Crew. For more info, stay tuned to RockSteadyCrew.Com.
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