The Beats, Rhymes and Life section is in full effect. Big ups must go out to Buddah M.A.C. for some of the news shown here. Plus we do get news from Sohh.com, MTV.com.

Nate Dogg was arrested on Saturday, June 17th, in Pomona, California. Nate was taken into police custody and is under investigation for kidnapping, arson, making terrorist threats, and domestic violence. He allegedly held his girlfriend against her will at her house in Lakewood, California, assaulted her and then torched her mother's car. Word is that his girlfriend, identified only as Rhoda, broke up with him several days before the incident.
Nate Dogg is being held on $1 million bail as police further investigate the situation. I'm hoping he's freed before August 16th so he can come up to Vancouver for our leg of the Up In Smoke Tour, I say free Nate Dogg ! (Even though he has fucked up a bit.)

Flesh-N-Bone was convicted of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and of being an ex-convict in possession of a firearm. He now faces up to 19 years of prison. Flesh was arrested in December for pulling out an AK-47 from a baby crib, loading it with ammo and threatening Terrance Vickers and his brother Fred Nelson while they visited him in his California apartment. Apparently, Vickers was trying to break up an argument between Flesh and his girlfriend. Flesh will return to court on July 14th for sentencing. He must also appear in court on Tuesday to answer to charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and another of resisting an executive officer. These charges stem from an incident in which the rapper showed up at a relative’s house with a loaded shotgun and refused to leave after police arrived.

Rapstation.com and Napster's contest is nearing the end. Peep the finalists and vote for your favourite track by June 19th. The finalists were selected from over 80 talented artists who stated "Why they support Napster" by dropping their lyrics to Public Enemy's "Power to the People and the Beats" track. You can check out all the entries in their Contest Archives. Go over and help select the $5G winner. Benefit and Pack FM are the two I would decide between (by the way, the others aren't wack, they're just my boys).

Forthcoming Vancouver Shows:
Ill-A-Mental: Thursday, June 22nd, 2000 at Richard's on Richards (1036 Richards St.):
Cali Agents
Slum Village
Bahamadia
Spontaneous
ALL TOGETHER IN ONE NIGHT!
plus J-Swing
Only $15 at the door
NO ADVANCE TICKETS

Sunday, July 2nd at Sonar (66 Water St.):
DJ Z-Trip
from The Bombshelter DJ's - Phoenix, AZ
Deep Concentration - Future Primitive - Return of the DJ
plus J-Swing (The Show, World Wide Ride)
only $8 at the door - no advance tickets
EARLY SHOW - Doors at 8:00

Sunday, July 9th at Sonar (66 Water St.):
Prince Paul
Exclusive 90 minute party-rocking set! Plus Mr. Rumble
$15 at the door
Limited number of $10 advance tickets at:
FWUH - 604-687-7464
Bassix - 604-689-7734
Futuristic Flavour - 604-681-1766

Tuesday, July 25, 2000 at Richard's on Richards
(1036 Richards St.)
Del the Funky Homosapien and Blackalicious plus DJ Science (Swollen Members, FWUH)
$22 advance tickets available June 13th at:
www.ticketmaster.ca - 604-280-4444
FWUH - 552 Beatty Street 604-687-7464
Futuristic Flavour - 1020 Granville St 604-681-1766

Saturday, August 12th, 2000 at The Commodore
(868 Granville St.)
KRS-ONE
Boogie Down Productions, The Blastmaster, The Teacher, The Legend.
plus Mr. Rumble, Sean-Ski and J-Swing
This WILL be a SOLD-OUT event. Get tickets early
NO GUEST LIST!
advance tickets $28 (+gst and service charges) available at:
www.ticketmaster.ca - 604-280-4444
FWUH - 552 Beatty Street 604-687-7464
Futuristic Flavour - 1020 Granville St 604-681-1766

UP IN SMOKE Tour
Dr.Dre, Snoop Dogg and Eminem plus Warren G
Wednesday, August 16 @ General Motors Place
Tickets go on sale this Saturday June 17!!! no-guest passes available (for real)!
Tickets are $59.50, $49.50, and $39.50 (inc.GST) + s/c at; All Ticketmaster outlets, charge by phone 280-4444 or order on-line at www.ticketmaster.ca

The same week that he was slapped with weapons charges in two separate incidents, Em sold an additional 598,000 copies of his "The Marshall Mathers LP" to hold on to the top spot. The new number pushes Em's three-week sales over 3 million

Here's how the Up In Smoke itinerary shapes up (as always, tour dates are subject to change):

6/15 - Chula Vista, CA @ Coors Amphitheatre
6/16 - Anaheim, CA @ Arrowhead Pond
6/18 - Anaheim, CA @ Arrowhead Pond
6/19 - San Jose, CA @ San Jose Arena
6/21 - Sacramento, CA @ ARCO Arena
6/24 - Portland, OR @ Rose Garden Arena
6/26 - Nampa, ID @ Idaho Center
6/30 - Indianapolis, IN @ Conseco Fieldhouse
7/1 - Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
7/2 - Cleveland, OH @ Gund Arena
7/3 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Mellon Arena
7/4 - Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheatre
7/6 - Detroit, MI @ Joe Louis Arena
7/7 - Auburn Hills, MI @ Palace Of Auburn Hills
7/8 - Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena
7/10 - Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
7/13 - Rochester, NY @ Blue Cross Arena
7/14 - Albany, NY @ Pepsi Arena
7/15 - East Rutherford, NJ @ Cont. Airline Arena
7/19 - Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Coliseum
7/20 - Worcester, MA @ The Centrum
7/22 - Hartford, CT @ Hartford Civic Center
7/25 - Buffalo, NY @ HSBC Arena
7/27 - Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Arena
7/29 - Charlotte, NC @ Charlotte Coliseum
8/1 - Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Nat. Car Rental Center
8/2 - Tampa, FL @ Ice Palace
8/4 - Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre
8/5 - New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Arena
8/6 - Houston, TX @ TBA
8/7 - Dallas, TX @ Starplex Amphitheatre
8/10 - Phoenix, AZ @ America West Arena
8/11 - Las Vegas, NV @ Thomas & Mack Center
8/12 - Fresno, CA @ Selland Arena
8/13 - San Jose, CA @ San Jose Arena
8/15 - Tacoma, WA @ Tacoma Dome
8/16 - Vancouver, BC @ GM Place
8/18 - West Valley, UT @ E Center
8/20 - Englewood, CO @ Fiddler's Green Amph.

Yet another 2Pac album is set to be released, but this one is a little different. Possibly to be released in September, the untitled project will feature hip-hop artists and celebrities reciting Pac’s poetry. Artists already confirmed for the project include K-Ci & Jo-Jo, Run, Mos Def, Tre (of The Pharcyde), Quincy Jones, the Outlawz, Danny Glover, Jasmine Guy, Russell Simmons, Providence, poet Sonya Sanchez, Black Panther Geronimo Pratt and more to be announced. The project will most likely be split into 2 volumes. The poetry will come from last year’s published "The Rose That Grew From Concrete," a book of Tupac’s poems. The 72 poems will be read over various types of music including Jazz, Blues, classical, African, Rock, Reggae and of course Hip-Hop.

System Of A Down recently hooked up with the Wu-Tang Clan's Rza, U-God, and Ghostface Killah to cover Wu-Tang's "Shame On A Ni**a" for the upcoming "Loud Rocks" compilation and some Wu-Tangers may join System on stage this summer. I spoke to Rza, and he's really excited about coming out for the Metallica dates," Odadjian told MTV News. He went on to note that no on-stage collaborations had been confirmed yet; however, fans are likely to get plenty of System's cover of "Shame..." as Shavo said it's expected to be the first single from the "Loud Rocks" album.

Black Rob, who has been a fugitive since May 26th, was arrested Tuesday morning and jailed on weapons charges, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said. The Bad Boy Entertainment artist turned himself in at Manhattan Criminal Court in the company of his attorney, Gary Becker. He was charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, a felony. Black Rob will remain in jail at least until his next court date, Aug. 29th.

From Manhunt:
Epic records is now looking to the Internet for a solution to finding new talent. It was recently announced that the music giant launched www.dealwithepic.com, an A&R site dedicated to finding new stars by allowing people to upload their material straight to A&R scouts. A spokesman mentioned that the system was set for auto response to let the sender know the file was uploaded correctly and that Epic would get back to you in "due course of time."

Jadakiss of the Ruff Ryding group the lox has said in the past he is the best MC. But until now, he has had no solo effort to back it up. But thats all changed, as Jadakiss recently told Hookt.com, his solo project is on the way. In an interview he told the website "I got everybody. Right now you gotta pick up Ryde or Die Volume 2 first. [My solo LP is] coming out July 4th or shortly after that, you know. Careful not to step on the toes of his label mates, he is going to wait for the second volume of Ryde or Die to be released first before unleashing his lyrical fury on the world. I don't wanna clash heads with the [Ryde or Die] project, he stated before going on about the guest stars he had lined up for his solo project I got (Dr.) Dre, Timbaland, Swizz (Beatz), (DJ) Premier, whoever you name. All the hottest producers, the Ruff Ryders MC added. Eminem gonna be on my solo album too.

This is from 7 Chamberz:
9th Prince's solo album "Revenge of the Iron Fingers" will drop this fall and features: Tommy Whispers (T.M.F.), Killarmy and Bobby Digital (RZA). He will be featured on the Masta Killa and Ruthless Bastards albums. Dom PaChino/P.R. Terrorist's "Terra Iz Him" will feature Tommy Whispers, Killarmy and Shyheim. It will be out in Europe on Wu-International. Lastly, multiple sources confirm that ODB will be on the Wu album despite the misinformation spread by Sonicnet with their recent article. Knowing ODB's legal situation, RZA recorded tracks with Dirt during the "Nigga Please" sessions specifically for use on the third Wu album, which amount to Dirt being on 5 tracks.

LL Cool J will be starring in a new movie with Toni Braxton, Whoopi Goldberg, and Jada Pinkett Smith entitled 'Kingdom Come.' Directed by Doug McHenry (who directed 'Jasons Lyric), the movie tells the story of an African-American family that tries to set aside its differences while mourning the death of the family patriarch. It began shooting last month in Los Angeles and isn't expected to be released to theaters until 2001. The film may get another title before then, however, as there is a supernatural western by the same name tentatively set for release later this year featuring Wes Bentley, Milla Jovovich, and Sarah Polley.

Dr. Dre will be remixing D'Angelo's 'Chicken Grease.'

Bad news people, very bad news, it appears Shaq has quit rapping. I can't believe this, I'm almost crying right now...haha, only playing but he has quit rapping.

To celebrate the release of the critically-acclaimed Infesticons album, 'Gun Hill Road', (which has received a hell of a lot of praise even being called "Possibly the hip hop record of the year" by WAX magazine) Big Dada present a little exclusive for all Rejecticons - Mike Ladd has wandered around his kitchen in the Bronx, playing with his effects unit and accompanied by his battery-powered hoola dancer. In between a beautifully mixed medley of top class moments from album, Mike fills us in on Infesticons, Majesticons, why Antipop Consortium are cool, philosophy and loads of other stuff that doesn't make much sense. Now this unique insight into - erm, Mike's kitchen - is available as a completely free MP3 download. Sort of like a Stars On 45 medley. But without the stars. And not on 45.

Go to http://www.ninjatune.net/bigdada/bd017/ and feel the quality

Fuck the Majesticons....

J-Live LP info. from J Live's manager - "the whole universal/polygram thing is holding it up if you don't know about that that let me tell you: Universal brought Polygram and London rec wasn't involved in that deal so London obtained another distribution deal w/ WEA but Universal keep all of London's artist because the owner of London who was the President of Polygram and the head of Universal have some type of problems so now J is a Island/Def Jam artist cause the London deal was thru Island but they don't know about the album or care nor does anybody else in the Universal system. hopefully the album will come out if not this summer but in the fall, but look out for some new and old joints from J-Live this summer."

From Wu-Tang Monestary:
Ghostface will once again work with Mary J. Blige, on a remix of her previous track "Your Child."

According to IronFistPillage.com, Cappadonna's LP will be released sometime in October or November. The Iron Fist Pillage soundtrack will be out on September 1st.

From 7 Chamberz:
This is from Cilvaringz:
"I spoke to Choco (engineer) last night... He said the Wu-Tang Clan album is not completed yet. "It's always a slow process when you're working on a masterpiece man". I don't know how you guys got that info about the album being 21 tracks, but I don't think it's true."

MC Paul Barman's will release a new 12" in July entitled 'How Hard is That?.' It is produced by Jesusfreak Prince B from PM Dawn.) He has also started up a rhyme cartoon at the back page of SPIN magazine entitled "Hamstergram in Amstergram."

DMX is being sought after by NYPD for allegedly slamming into a car full of women, and then swearing that he wouldn't pay for the damage he had caused. DMX was coming from a party at Float, where he was celebrating the launch of Missy Elliots new label, Gold Mind. After leaving the party shortly after midnight, the accident Accord on 12th Avenue near 56th Street. DMX was in a Ford Expedition, while the other driver was in a Honda Accord. According to driver Aisha Smith, DMX got out of the car screaming obscenities, and that he doesn't have a license The woman tried to get insurance information from DMX, when he replied "Fuck you, bitch! I'm not paying for shit!" One of the women wrote down the license plate number of his vehicle, which came back to DMX.

Eminem, now has a total of four criminal charges against him and is faced with the prospect of a civil lawsuit. On Thursday (June 8th), prosecutors in Royal Oak, Mich., charged the rapper with carrying a concealed weapon, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, and with brandishing a firearm, a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail. He had also been arraigned Wednesday on separate weapons charges. Eminem (born Marshall Mathers) was arraigned on the new charges at 2 p.m. EDT in 44th District Court in Royal Oak, a suburb north of Detroit. He is free on $10,000 bond, according to a court clerk.

The new charges stem from an incident that began around 5:45 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of Mickey Schorr car audio in Royal Oak. Dennis Dail, 21, who claimed to be an associate of rival Detroit rap act Insane Clown Posse, allegedly began calling Eminem names, Oakland County Chief Deputy Prosecutor John O'Brien said. When Eminem, got out of his car, a gun tucked in his waistband slid down his pants leg and onto the ground. Witnesses told police investigators that Eminem picked up the gun and began arguing with Dail, O'Brien said.Dail backed off, and Eminem continued shouting at him, holding the gun pointed at the ground, according to O'Brien. Eminem did not have a permit to carry the weapon, though he applied for a gun-carrying permit in October, O'Brien said.

Insane Clown Posse's label publicist had no comment and said she was not familiar with Dail.

After a separate incident outside of Hot Rocks Café in Warren, Mich., early Sunday, Eminem was arraigned Wednesday in 37th District Court in Warren on one count of carrying a concealed weapon and one count of assault with a dangerous weapon. The rapper allegedly came after John Guerra, whom he said he saw kissing his wife, pointed a gun and yelled, "I'm going to kill you!" The gun was not loaded, according to Macomb County Prosecutor Carl Marlinga. He was released after he posted bond Wednesday.

37th District Court Judge Susan Chrzanowski ordered Eminem to surrender to police any firearms or guns he may have in his 4,384-square-foot home in Sterling Heights, Mich., an affluent suburb northeast of Detroit. The judge also demanded that he supply police and prosecutors with an itinerary of his upcoming tour, as well as notify them of where he is staying while out of the state.

John J. Gaber, Guerra's Clinton Township, Mich., lawyer, said Thursday that he would file a lawsuit in Macomb County Circuit Court on behalf of his client. The suit alleges that Eminem struck Guerra with a gun three or four times in the face and head and that he then pointed the gun at Guerra's face "from a distance of no more than 6 to 7 inches," Gaber said. "That's when my client was thinking he was going to die and that he'd never see his children again," Gaber said.

At that point, Gaber said, Guerra grabbed for the gun and a scuffle ensued between him and the rapper. Gaber said that Guerra claims to have met Eminem for the first time in a brief encounter three or four weeks ago and that Guerra was a Hot Rocks regular. "Physically, he's healing," Gaber said. "But emotionally it's been a terrifying experience." Howard Hertz, Eminem's Bloomfield Hills, Mich., attorney, could not be reached for comment.

Loud recording artists Wu-Tang Clan, Big Pun, Mobb Deep and Dead Prez will have some of their hits rocked-up by the likes of Sugar Ray, Ozzy Osbourne, Everlast and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine for the forthcoming compilation Loud Rocks, due Sept. 5th. The majority of the tracks feature the original MCs firing their lyrics over guitar-driven, feedback-ridden remixes. Ozzy Osbourne and RZA have revamped Wu-Tang Clan's "For Heaven's Sake," Sugar Ray helped out with the Alkaholiks' "Make Room" and Static-X gave further kindle to Dead Prez's "Hip Hop." Though this album might seem like yet another attempt to make a few bucks off of the rock/rap craze, executive producer Amy Finnerty points out that Loud Rocks avoids the "forced collaboration" of the two sounds. "When we went into the studio," Finnerty said, "we wanted to focus on the natural blending of hip-hop and rock as cultures in the hopes of reaching a higher musical level." Other collaborations include Everlast and Mobb Deep, Shootyz Groove and Big Pun, and Sevendust and Xzibit.

A New York judge rejected a motion Wednesday (June 7th) by Jay-Z's lawyer to dismiss assault charges against the rapper based on a videotape that the lawyer says exonerates him, said Gloria Montealegre, a spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney's office. Jay-Z will return to court Sept. 13th to set a date for the trial, where he will face allegations that he stabbed Untertainment Records owner Lance "Un" Rivera.

Prodigy, of Mobb Deep, was released from the hospital Saturday (June 3rd) after he was admitted for treatment May 31st for sickle cell anemia complications, a Loud Records spokeswoman said. The rapper plans to address his struggle with the genetic blood-disorder on 'You Can Never Feel My Pain,' a cut from his upcoming solo album H.N.I.C., scheduled for release Sept. 19th.

Here's Kim Mathers' letter to the editor from the Detroit Free Press:

"To whom it may concern, First and foremost, I would like to start off by saying that just because my husband is an entertainer, that does not mean that our personal business is for everyone's entertainment purposes, but since the press seems to think that it is, then they should get their story straight.

My husband came up to Hot Rocks to check up on me, why is still unknown to me because if I was to cheat on him it wouldn't be in a neighborhood bar where he knows I am. Had he asked any questions before he flew off the handle, he would have realized that everyone with me (both male and female) were only friends. The fact that he just jumped to conclusions has gotten him and myself in trouble.

I would also like to state, since my husband has had no problem trying to make me look like an unfaithful wife, that every time I find a picture of him with other women, or read in magazines that he's involved with 'groupies,' I don't go and show up where he is making a huge scene and getting our faces put all over the TV and papers. I have always taken his word on things and stood by his side. Even after the whole situation up at Hot Rocks, I tried to defend him.

Sincerely,
Kim Mathers"

From Vibe:
Hip hop star Eminem has signed on with the United Talent Agency. The agency will represent the rapper in all areas of his career except touring. Up on the plate for the rapper turned actor is a loosely based biography based on Eminem's life that will be released through Universal based Imagine Entertainment. The movie will also allow Eminem to feature his songs visually into the film with three or more musical sequences. The story will be based on a young white rapper who lives in Detroit and is trying to find his voice. Brian Grazer, producer of the film, told The Hollywood Reporter, "You can extract some good dramatic stuff out of the world he came from. What we've done is create an underdog story to give the artist a platform to perform. You can tell he'll be able to act because he has a lot of fluidity to his movements."

JUNE 2, 2000- THIS IS THE CONTEST...FOR ALL THE FANS AND ALSO EVEN THE NON SHABAZZ FANS! YOU COULD WIN $1000!

Here are the rules! In the next couple of weeks Shabazz will release an EP of previously UNRELEASED songs...at the end of the EP will be an ACCAPELLA...IF You can come up w/the best beat for the ACCAPELLA.....You will win $1000! The beat will be selected by Shabazz himself and also may be selected as a Bonus Track on his long awaited album!

Here are the instructions....

Send a mastered DAT of the ACCAPELLA and YOUR beat in with a $20 registration and processing fee, along with a way to contact YOU!! Do not send in the registration fee funds, until you have your beat mastered on a DAT with the ACCAPELLA

Contest ends on 30 days after the EP is released!!

send to:
THE CONTEST
100 Dwight St. #3B
Brooklyn, NYC 11231, USA

From 7 Chamberz:
The Killarmy album 'The Six Man Wetting' has been mixed, and should be out around September on Loud. RZA and GZA have been asked to be on The Prodigy's album, and Cilva will be doing a track with them as well. True Master was not in Cali with 4th Disciple, Mathematics & RZA, which probably means he won't lace any beats on the upcoming album from the Clan. But, True Master will lace beats on Cilva's solo album though. Cilva said he will be going to NYC and get the beats from him soon. Barrakjudah has got a single he's dropping soon to you internet freaks called 'Science.'

Busta Rhymes recently put the finishing touches on his fourth LP, 'Anarchy,' and is scheduled to hit the studio soon with Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst and former Tribe Called Quest member Q-Tip to record an as-yet-untitled track for the soundtrack to the upcoming live action big screen adaptation of 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas.' The track already features vocals from actor, contortionist, and "Grinch" star Jim Carrey. Sultry singer Mariah Carey and pop princess Christina Aguilera are also slated to drop vocals for the upcoming album, which is due out by year's end. As for Busta's next LP, the rapper told MTV News that 'Anarchy' will boast guest appearances by DMX and Jay-Z on a track titled 'Why We Die,' and spots from Wu-Tang's Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, as well as the newest Flipmode Squad member Roc Marciano (who replaced Lord Have Mercy) on a track called 'The Heist.' The album will also feature the input of Lenny Kravitz, Swizz Beatz, Rampage, M.O.P., DJ Shok from Ruff Ryders, Jay Dee from The Ummah, Nottz, and DJ Scratch. I gotta say, Flipmode dropping Lord Have was dumb. Digga and Lord Have were the best in the squad.

M.O.P.'s 'Warrior' album will also feature production by Pete Rock, Da RockWilder, DJ Scratch, Teflon, and Mahogany, who has produced songs for artists from the Ruff Ryders camp. Guest appearances include Smooth B (formerly of Nice & Smooth) and Busta Rhymes, with whom M.O.P. will be touring this summer.

Everlast's new LP should arrive this fall, title 'Eat At Whitey's,' an allusion to his breakthrough 1998 album, 'Whitey Ford Sings The Blues.' Everlast has enlisted the help of Cypress Hill's B-Real, N'Dea Davenport (formerly of the Brand New Heavies), Rahzel, Goodie M.O.B.'s Cee-Lo, doo-wop veterans The Persuasions, and Beck's father, folk artist David Campbell, for the album

From Manhunt:
Beats By The Pound, the four-man production team responsible for the No Limit platinum hits such as Make Em Say Uhhhh, Ice Cream Man, Bout It Bout It, etc, has finally gone out on their own and are about to release their first recording artist, 'Six Shot.' No other production team in urban music have sold more records than Beats By The Pound, who changed their name last year to Medicine Men to further distance themselves from Master P's No Limit empire. The production team left No Limit in April of 1999, when it became apparent Master P had no intention of paying them. They were the first of many artists to allegedly leave for the same reason. With over 40 million records sold, and with many platinum and gold hits under their belts (including recent hits for Mariah Carey, Brian McKnight, and Mystikal), Medicine Men are poised to build a strong empire on their own, this time reaping the benefits of their hard work. Beats By The Pound were responsible for the production of over 800 songs for artists down with Master P's No Limit Records, and have a catalog of over 2,000 songs completed. They own all of their own publishing from Day One, and are also seeking a publishing deal for the new and old work.

In February, Wendy Day (who secured the now famous $30 million distribution deal for Cash Money Records) filed suit against Cash Money Records and owners Bryan and Ronald Williams for not paying her to secure their deal. Although industry insiders estimated the deal to be worth $30 million at the time the deal was done, the deal is worth more like $75 million after 20 months according to Day's calculations. "I wrote an article for www.rapstation.com that just applies the mathematical formula from their Universal deal and independent releases. Since I did the deal, I'm privy to that information," says Day. After she spent nine months shopping the deal, writing business plans, building hype, securing press, and helping to increase their independent sales, Ronald and Bryan Williams owners of Cash Money just didn't pay the agreed, or any, fee. Day claims they've contacted her 3 times in the past two year period to pay her, but just never get around to it.

Puffy has been very outspoken about his respect and admiration for Chicago recording artist Twista, who sold over 600,000 records for Atlantic Records through a production company that he is currently fighting in court. "They forgot to pay Twista, and this drove him into bankruptcy," says a former artist signed to the same production company as Twista. Day confirms that Twista is currently undergoing a legal battle regarding his freedom but is no longer signed to Atlantic or the fledgling production company. "It's sad because it was a great deal that I did years ago and it got lots of attention, because it was a 50-50 split with Atlantic. Had Twista been paid what he should have, both he and the production company would still be making money together today. Very, very sad." Day adds that she is unsure if the production company is still in the music business, "but if they are, they are only making music for their three block radius in Chicago. They were at the pinnacle of success and their greed ruined it for everyone." Twista has recently release a compilation album of new artists from Chicago. Legit Ballin' Volume 1 has sold almost 100,000 copies independently throughout the Mid-west and South, and Twista and crew are working on Volume 2 currently.

Fiend obtained his release from No Limit Records as of May 8th and is currently a free agent. He is about to release a rap documentary video and accompanying soundtrack called Can I Burn? independently throughout the South and Mid-west on his own record label: Fiend Entertainment. Although he is grateful to Master P for the opportunity to learn the music business through the eyes of a No Limit Soldier, Fiend is poised to experience the fruit of his own labor. Fiend obtained his release from No Limit through breached clauses in his contract which Master P had 60 days to "cure" (fix) and he did not respond. Fiend is currently being courted by some major labels in urban music for his solo deal. He also has an all-star group in the works. But his main focus is the independent release of "Can I Burn?" which is a behind the scenes documentary of the past year in Fiend's life, and its accompanying soundtrack. Other No Limit Recording artists who have joined the ranks of independently released projects: Kane & Abel, Mr Serv-On, Big Ed, Magic, Mo B Dick, KLC, and C-Murder.

Last Emperor's management contacted me yesterday, here's the news they gave me. Last Emperor was NOT dropped from Aftermath. His manager made a legal power move to transition the artist from the label to Interscope (the parent). Because the Last Emperor as well as Eve and King T. were sort of stagnate and everyone had to make the choice to stay in the game. Everything is cool. They have no ill-feelings toward Aftermath and don't want people to construe it that way. It was purely lawful business, and it puts the Last Emperor in great position now considering the merger of Island / Def Jam / A&M / Universal / Geffen / Interscope. The album is done!!! They are just hammering out a release date...Last Emperor Fans will not be upset. Those who have been loyal since the days of tunes like 'Meditation,' and 'Monumental' know that the Emp always has treats for the fans and this album is no exception...The Beats are crazy, they have Prince Paul as Executive Producer as well as contributing 5 tracks and 3 skits, Dimond D. (from DITC) with 3 beats, Mr. Walt and Evil D (Beatminerz), D.J. Muggs (from Cypress) as well. Only to mention a few. Exclusive joints are being saved for something real special later this year or next year which include 'Claimin' Respect' which tha-real.com premiered (once again props to Eric for the hook-up). The LP will hopefully include finished tracks with the Rebel Rasheed, Dead Prez, God Sunz, Krs, Black Thought, Killer Priest, Ras Kass, Outer Space, Kamachi, Goldilocks, and many more.

Thirstin' Howl has finished his new LP. 18 tracks produced by Will Tell, it might be dropping this summer. Also, look for Thirstin on the new Lyricist Lounge season. Big ups to Opus for the info.

According to sales figures Eminem sold a staggering 1.76 million copies of 'The Marshall Mathers LP' in its first week. The hefty sales figures give Em the record for the biggest one-week sales of any solo artist as well as the number one spot on next week's 'Billboard' album chart.

From Platform.net:
Redman has record a playful song with Lenny Kravitz called 'Walk In High' about-- guess what?-- walking into a party brashly after smoking marijuana! Lenny apparently adds mostly guitar licks and some background vocals to the chorus. Reggie Noble has also completed a collaboration with D'Angelo on the continuation to Redman's 'Superman Lover' series of songs-- which are inspired by EPMD's mutant femme-fatale tales about the mythical female 'Jane.' Redman's fourth solo record for Def Jam is scheduled for release this August.

Method Man and Kelis have recorded a song, 'I'm Gonna Get You,' in which Blondie's '80s classic 'One Way Or Another' is reworked. This track is for Method Man's next LP (scheduled for an early Fall release); Erick Sermon is producing at least 4 songs.

There are also rumors that Method Man & Redman are close to closing a TV/film deal with Tribeca Studio's for one of their self-conceived concepts.

Erick Sermon has produced a track featuring Eminem & Redman for the upcoming Nutty Professor soundtrack coming out on Def Jam this summer. On this song, Eminem apparently goes after Mousekateers, Christina Aguilera, and the whole suburban teen R&B singer phenomenon once again in spellblinding lyrical fashion.

A bench warrant has been issued for Black Rob after the rapper failed to show up at a Manhattan court on Friday afternoon to face drug and weapon charges. A June 13th court date has been set for the rapper. If he is picked up by authorities prior to that date, Black Rob will be brought in on his warrant.

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May 2000