NOVEMBER 2002

JA RULE AND EMINEM BEATEN BY SHANIA TWAIN

If you're one of those people who grouses that the holiday shopping season seems to come earlier each year, don't bother looking at next week's Billboard albums chart, where a flood of new releases — led by country crossover diva Shania Twain — storm the chart and rake in some early Yuletide coin.

Twain's fourth album, Up!, sold more than 874,000 copies, easily surging past the rest of the pack and into next week's #1 spot, according to sales figures released by SoundScan on Wednesday (November 27).

In all, eight new releases crack the top 20 next week. The pop comp Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 11 — featuring Nelly, No Doubt, Kylie Minogue, Aaliyah, Dixie Chicks and others — debuts in the runner-up slot, selling just under 316,000 copies.

Ja Rule boasts the week's next highest debut, landing at #4 with his The Last Temptation, which moved more than 237,000 copies in its first week in stores. Ja comes in right on the heels of Eminem and the "8 Mile" soundtrack, which holds strong at #3 after selling an additional 281,000 copies.

A few rock veterans also managed to bust into the top 10. Matchbox Twenty's third album, More Than You Think You Are, sold more than 178,000 copies to debut at #6, while the debut album from Audioslave (featuring ex-Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell and former members of Rage Against the Machine) will debut at #7 with 162,000 copies sold.

The surge of new blood pushes last week's #1, Jay-Z's The Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse, down to #5 on next week's chart. Missy Elliott, a rising Avril Lavigne and Justin Timberlake round out the top 10.

Toni Braxton, Mudvayne and late Beatles guitarist George Harrison will also make the top 20 next week. R&B songstress Braxton's More Than a Woman sold more than 97,000 copies in its first week in stores to debut at #13. Taking a much louder route, Mudvayne will debut at #17 after selling just under 79,000 copies of The End of All Things to Come. Harrison's posthumous solo offering, Brainwashed, sold more than 74,000 copies to debut at #18.

Talib Kweli came this close to scoring a top-20 debut with his latest, but the rapper's Quality sold 67,000 copies to come in at #21, missing the top 20 by less than 500 copies.

GOOD IN THE 'HOOD

How do rappers make amends for any hip-hop sins they've committed throughout the year? Well, a number of them stock up on good karma by doing good for the 'hood around holiday time.

This year, Jay-Z is making sure that Santa brings more diamonds rather than lumps of coal come Christmas by holding a special Thanksgiving benefit concert on Thursday at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom. In previous years, Jigga and crew have handed out donations in their old neighborhood of Fort Greene, Brooklyn, but this year, Jay and his partner, Dame Dash, have partnered with the New York City Mission Society to raise funds for underprivileged city kids with a sold-out concert featuring performances by Jay, Beanie Sigel, Freeway and other Roc-A-Fella artists. Monies raised will also go toward the rapper's new Jay-Z Scholarship Fund.

As has been a tradition for the past five years, Yonkers native DMX is paying his doggy dues by hosting the Thanksgiving Dinner With DMX with his music family the Ruff Ryders at the Nepperham Community Center in Yonkers, New York. Four hundred lucky community members will be treated to a soul-food dinner, catered by Harlem eatery Copeland's, as well as a gift giveaway and a special performance by DMX and other Ruff Ryders artists. DMX will also launch his Mary Ella Foundation, named after his late grandmother. The foundation with give out $500 scholarships to high school and college students and donate computers and clothing to the Nepperham Community Center.

After recently receiving honors from their home state, the Nappy Roots are making sure that they stay in Kentucky's good graces. On Thursday, the group will fly home in time to serve Thanksgiving dinner to the homeless at the Wayside Christian Mission House in Louisville. They will then follow up that good deed with another one — a performance for their local fans.

While Thanksgiving Day in the Cash Money camp will be spent promoting Baby's new album, The Birdman, on Monday, the label gave away 2000 turkey dinners for its Fourth Annual Cash Money Turkey Giveaway in New Orleans. The charity, held in honor of Baby and Slim's parents and their eponymous fund, the Johnnie and Gladys Williams Foundation, gave out a package containing a 25-pound turkey with side dishes of green beans, cranberry sauce, cake mix, dinner rolls, dressing and soda. According to Cash Money producer Mannie Fresh, the crew feels it's only right to "pay the love forward."

EMINEM'S WEALTH

As previously reported Eminem's childhood home near 8 Mile is currently up for auction at Ebay.Com with the bid currently holding steady at $12 million. Not to be outdone, another group of realtors have put up Em's home he first bought after becoming a nationwide superstar. The home is located in Sterling Heights, Michigan and has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.

The description of the house reads :

"Own a piece of Eminem's history. This is the house that Eminem bought after he became famous. He spent a large sum of money to up date the Kitchen, all the Bathrooms, the Jacuzzi Room and Basement. The house has an Indoor Jacuzzi and a Sauna Room. In the back yard it has a Golf Green and an In Ground Pool. Located on the Clinton River, it's a great home for entertaining. Enjoy the wild life watching deer, fox and many birds on this beautifully landscaped 3 acre estate."

EMINEM SOUNDTRACK RIDING HIGH...

 

When opportunity knocks, Eminem jumps, shoots and scores. The Eminem Show is still in the top 10 of the Billboard albums chart 24 weeks after its release, his first movie, "8 Mile," is poised to blow up at the box office, and the film's soundtrack will debut at #1 on next week's chart.

The disc, which sold over 702,000 copies, features four new Eminem tracks, including the explosive hit "Lose Yourself," as well as new songs by D12, Nas, Jay-Z and Freeway, and others. 8 Mile more than doubled the sales of rival Christina Aguilera's revealing new album Stripped, which sold just over 330,000 copies and will debut at #2.

Landing in the #3 slot is Nirvana's self-titled greatest-hits collection, which moved over 234,000 copies thanks largely to the inclusion of the previously unreleased single You Know You're Right.

Spiritual rocker Santana, who nailed the top slot last week with Shaman, will drop to #4, selling nearly 175,000 copies. Country trio Rascal Flatts will take the #5 spot, shifting almost 170,000 units of their second album, Melt. And in her third week of sales, Faith Hill will slide to the sixth chart position after selling around 147,000 of her fifth album, Cry.

Tori Amos will take the #7 position, selling over 107,000 copies of her new album, Scarlet's Walk. Avril Lavigne will slip one notch to #9, though the additional 95,000 copies sold brings her grand total for Let Go up to over 2,504,000 copies since its June 4 release, making her one of the top sellers of the year with less than six months of total sales. Dixie Chicks will round out the top 10, moving almost 86,000 more copies of Home.

While old-school and classic rock artists dominated the charts for much of October, the spate of new acts with fourth-quarter releases pushed some of the geezers down the ladder. Elvis 30 #1 Hits will slide six slots to #6, selling over 82,000 copies, Rolling Stones' Forty Licks will drop five spots to #14 with over 72,000 in sales, and Rod Stewart's It Had to Be You... The Great American Songbook will slip 12 to #16, selling just over 70,000 copies.

Some young acts experienced disappointing first weeks. Backstreet Boy Nick Carter will land at #17, selling over 67,000 copies of his first solo album, Now or Never, and Shaggy will debut at #24 with his new record Lucky Day, which sold almost 50,000.

Two years after their last record, Btnhressurection, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony will debut at #12 with Thug World Order, which sold over 82,000. Nelly will land at #13, selling over 74,000 more copies of Nellyville. It will be the first time the album will drop out of the top 10 since its July 25 release.

Georgia rappers Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz will debut at #15, selling over 71,000 copies of Kings of Crunk, and rapper Tank's second record, One Man, will hit #20 in its first week with over 57,000 copies sold.

While former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl is probably happy with that band's chart position, he can't be too thrilled that his band Foo Fighters' fourth album, One by One, will drop 16 positions to #19, selling over 57,000 copies. The Queens of the Stone Age's Songs for the Deaf, on which Grohl also plays, will plummet 24 places to #90, moving just over 13,000.

Other sales disappointments include Kelly Rowland's Simply Deep, which will fall 13 positions in its second week to #25, selling over 42,000, and 3LW's A Girl Can Mack, which will drop 31 slots to #56, selling just over 19,000 in its second week.

Totally Hits 2002 also won't meet expectations, landing at #21 with almost 55,000 copies sold. Its predecessor, Totally Hits 2001, debuted at #3 last year, selling nearly 139,000 copies. A sister album, Totally Hits Country, will debut at #23, selling almost 53,000.

Icelandic experimental atmospheric band Sigur Ros will surprise many by debuting at #51 with their third album (), which sold more than 20,000. Thanks to the recent DVD release of "Spider-Man," the film's soundtrack will re-enter the charts at #63.

Hacky sack kickers can rejoice, as four new Phish live albums will debut simultaneously on the charts, selling more than 33,000 copies total. The highest ranked of the batch will be Live Phish, Vol. 13, and it will debut at #112 with sales over 10,000.

In the wake of the murder of Jam Master Jay, Run-DMC's Greatest Hits will resurface on the chart at #117, selling almost 9,800 copies.

RUN DMC ANNOUNCE RETIREMENT, FOLLOWING RECENT TRAGEDY.

 

 Many people who love Run-DMC will tell you that there would be no group without Jam Master Jay, and that the DJ was the backbone of the trio. On Wednesday morning Reverend Run told a room full of people just how indispensable Jason Mizell was: Without their slain friend, Run and DMC have decided to end their 19-year run rocking the microphone.

"The thing that I recognize is that we were just on tour with Aerosmith and Kid Rock and we can't perform anymore,"

Run said in the Majestic East Room at the Rihga Royal Hotel.

"Nobody wants to see Run and DMC without Jay. Jay was definitely one third of the group. People might see us on television and be wondering if Jay was a significant part of the group. Yes, he was".

"We split this money three ways,"

 Run continued with DMC nodding his head in agreement in the back.

"We're not able to go back out in December with Kid Rock and Aerosmith, and that was a big break for us. We had an endorsement deal with Dr. Pepper, we can't make those commercials now. Run-DMC is officially retired. I can't get out onstage with a new DJ. Some rock bands can replace the drummer, but I don't know any other way but [to perform] with the three original members. We're retired, does anybody have a job out there?"

Run-DMC, Russell Simmons, P. Diddy, Chuck D, Doug E. Fresh, Foxy Brown, Juelez Santana, Andre Harrell, Spinderella, Busta Rhymes and BET's Big Tigga were those on hand to announce their unified efforts to not only aid Jam Master Jay's family, but to help bring his killers to justice and promote peace.

"As you know, the funeral was yesterday and we didn't want to wait one day to deal forthrightly with making sure that the family of Jam Master Jay does not have any debt," Minister Benjamin Chavis said. "We're standing together in unity, taking our responsibility and we're also here today to announce our plans to launch a street campaign to keep the legacy of Jam Master Jay positive."

Russell Simmons announced a $50,000 contribution by LL Cool J and listed Dr. Dre, Eminem, Interscope Records, Murder Inc. Records, BET, The Source, XXL, Redman, Method Man, Busta Rhymes, Kid Rock and Aerosmith as contributors to the effort. Besides paying for the Mizells' $250,000 house and college funds for Jay's three sons, $50,000 is also being set aside for a reward to be given to anyone who has information leading to the arrest of the killers.

"The legacy of Jam Master Jay has to continue and the history of Jam Master Jay has to be told,"

said a visibly distraught Ed Lover.

"Everybody that's in the industry right now that's living well and living in mansions and driving nice cars and feeding their families, have to realize that if wasn't for Jay, none of us would be eating the way we're eating. That's why it's so important that his wife eats and his kids go to school and get that education."

Simmons praised the NYPD for their handling of the case and asked people in the community to step up and help the authorities with information. Chuck D called on rappers to be more responsible, not only with their music but in reaching out and speaking to the public.

"I don't live in penthouses, suites, $300 hotel rooms,"

Chuck D scolded.

 "I'm in the communities from here to across the Pacific and see people that only listen to and watch rappers. It's no reason for us to not be men and women. Yes, we do control the climate. Understand we have the ears of the people, we have to be men and women. I don't want to ruin the atmosphere, but Run, Jay and DMC made it possible for everybody."

"Rap is indifferent," chimed in Run, "it's about whose hands it is in. This shooting, this murder, has nothing to do with rap music. It has to do with an angry, sick mind."

 

The Mizell family has said donations can be made to the Mizell Children's Fund,
c/o Terri Corley-Mizell,
P.O. Box 3497,
New Hyde Park,
NY 11040.

 

 

HIP HOP TRAGEDY

On a low note, Run DMC legend Jam Master Jay received a fatal gunshot wound to the head on Wednesday 30th October.  The loss has deeply shocked and saddened myself and fellow hip hop fans.  RIP Jay (Jason Mizell) 1965-2002.  You will be sadly missed.

 

 

 

GOD'S SON MAKES LATE ARRIVAL

 

 

Nas has pushed back the release date of his forthcoming album, God's Son, to December 17. The first single from the set, "Made You Look!", was recently released to urban radio, and the rapper shot a video for the song in New York last week with video director Benny Boom.

God's Son was originally scheduled for release on November 19--the same day as the release of Ja Rule's The Last Temptation. The albums were scheduled for simultaneous release since Nas recently aligned himself with the Murder Inc. Records crew, and Murder Inc. CEO Irv Gotti wanted to launch a huge joint marketing campaign for both releases. Unfortunately, Nas is still in the studio recording music for God's Son, while Ja Rule will complete The Last Temptation just in time for the November 19 release date, according to published sources.

God's Son will feature the production of Alchemist, Large Professor, Salaam Remi, L.E.S., and Irv Gotti.

In related news, Nas released a collection of previously unreleased songs, titled The Lost Tapes, in September. The set is currently Number 60 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The rapper is also featured with his Murder Inc affiliates on "The Pledge (Remix)" featuring Ashanti and Ja Rule, the lead single from Irv Gotti Presents...The Remixes, which comes out Tuesday (October 29).

 

GOLD AND PLATINUM PLAQUES

Here are the most recent certifications from the month of September and October (Hip Hop related releases)

 

QDIII SPEAKS OUT ON PUZZLING 1988 2PAC INTERVIEW

Anyone in possession of the 2Pac documentary DVD 'Thug Angel' may be slightly puzzled by the bonus footage, which features a 17 year old Tupac being filmed for a TV interview, as Tupac did not start his rise to stardom until 3 years later.  Producer and son of Quincy Jones, QDIII recently revealed that the interview was part of a documentary filmed in 1988 by a local reporter researching inner city kids.  The film was set to feature two interviews with 2 inner city kids (one being Tupac), conducted 10 years apart.  Unfortunately, Tupac did not live to participate in his second interview, which should have been filmed in 1998.

 

CHUCK D ON ELVIS TRIBUTE?!?

American TV station NBC plan to release a tribute to Elvis' 25th anniversary in the near future.  Artists set to pay their respects include Britney Spears, Enrique Iglesias, No Doubt and...Chuck D of Public Enemy!  Fans are confused as to why he is participating in this event, remembering his famous line on Fight The Power:

                "Elvis was a hero but he never meant shit to me"

Chuck D is yet to officially comment on his appearance, but show insiders reckon that this line is the reason why he was approached for the show.

 

 DJ QUIK GREATEST HITS - CONFIRMED TRACKS

After more than 10 years in the hip hop game, DJ Quik is set to release a 'greatest hits' LP, for release on November 19th.  The album will feature tracks right from his first album, through to his latest album, with 2 new bonus tracks.  There has been speculation about DJ Quik announcing his retirement; however, no official statement has been made.  An album of this nature, however, has left fans worrying that Quik is about to throw in the towel and call it a day.  Here are a list of the tracks which will appear on the album: