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.

From Sonicnet:

A bench warrant has been issued for Ol' Dirty Bastard after the troubled rapper ran away from the drug-treatment facility Impact House last week. ODB fled as he was being transported from the Pasadena, Calif., facility to Los Angeles Criminal Courthouse downtown.

"He physically ran away," Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Michael O'Gara said. "It's my understanding that [ODB's] counselors were taking him to court to discuss his program with the judge."

"No one knows where he is," said Ken Holder, bureau chief of narcotics trials for the Queens, N.Y., district attorney, who is prosecuting ODB in a crack-cocaine case. "He decided he'd had enough of the program, and he left."

Holder said he did not believe Impact House counselors were allowed to restrain patients because it is not a lock-down facility. However, the facility is required to notify the court system if the patient is there by court order and leaves without an escort.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel issued a "no-bail" warrant for ODB on Oct. 17, meaning that once he is arrested, he cannot post bail for his release.

The 31-year-old rapper (born Russell Jones) has been living at Impact House since June, after serving six months in county jail for violating his probation by drinking alcohol. The sentence stems from his convictions for wearing body armor and making terrorist threats.

"He's probably looking at prison [time]," O'Gara said. "We're looking at whether he is suitable for probation, and based upon his actions thus far, in my opinion, he's not. We don't have many choices left."

The Ontario, Canada, attorney general's office said Monday (Oct. 23) that it is investigating a Toronto woman's criminal complaint alleging that Eminem's lyrics violate the country's hate-crime law. If the office agrees with self-proclaimed "media violence" critic Valerie Smith, Eminem could face up to two years in prison for performing songs such as "Kim" and "Kill You" when he performs at the SkyDome on Thursday. Eminem's label, Interscope, had no comment. ...

From Manhunt:

Though based on an idea by Method Man and Redman, Meth is having second thoughts about the story or the title of their upcoming flick, "How High." The two are getting ready to star in "High," about two weed heads who get smarter by smoking pot and get accepted into Harvard University. Soon after, the characters run out of the herb and have to instead depend on their genuine smarts to survive. Uhnkay? Jesse Dylan (son of Bob Dylan) is in negotiations to direct the film, which is slated to start rolling in January.

Black Thought's solo album will be called Masterpeice Theater
Dice Raw comes out Oct 24th
Common's next single is a remix for "Geto Heaven" featuring Macy Gray.
Com's tour starts Oct 27th

From One Step:

True Master says that Streetlife is signed on Def Jam together with Method Man, and that he got a budget now so he's working on his album, he got 2 tracks with True Master on it. But the little sad thing is that he has just started working on it so it'll probably not be released in the nearest future. Some of you may have heard that the album will be titled Wu-Thug but that's just a rumour.

The new Gravediggaz album is finnished, 17 tracks. The album will only feature Poetic and Frukwan as expected though Prodigal Sunn is making a guest apperance on the track 'False Things Must Perish.'

The Violin Girl from reunited is on The W on a track called '36 Chamberz'

From Wu Lyricz:

Masta Killa should be releasing a single around the same time 'The W' drops. The single is called 'Blowout' and features Junior Reid.

Method Man is working on his next album 'T3' and is also working on another 'Blackout' album with Redman. Both projects should see release between December and February 2001.

Rumours are intensely circulating the Dr. Dre is signing Rakim to Aftermath and not only that, DJ Premier and Dre are allegedly handling Rakim's LP's production.

More rumours for you, the former Four Horsemen, now the Horsemen, now supposedly have Rakim and Monch in the group.....hmmmmmmmm

Moka Only's new video for 'Imagine Me' will be released to music television stations soon, it's expected it will get play on at least Canada's MuchMusic. I was at the Video Release Party and the video isn't bad, although thankfully Moka's segment immitating D'Angelo's 'Untitled' video will be left out.

Chino XL's LP is supposedly finally dropping in February of 2001

From Wu-Monestary: According to "Juice" (a German Hip Hop magazine), Killah Priest says in an interview that he's left the Wu camp and is now known as Masada. He gives a lot of praise to GZA but said that there's been some troubles between him and RZA. Priest feels that RZA didn't support him enough during his stint on Geffen Records, and says that RZA forced the Sunz to drop "The Last Shall Be First" in Summer '98 because of his Bobby Digital release. Among other things, Priest says most of the material done for "Heavy Mental" was completed before 1998 just after the release of "Liquid Swords". He wants to quit MCA but says he's contracted to release another 5 albums for them. Priest has a new label called "Pro Verbs Music" which boasts upcoming projects like The 4 Horsemen, The Maccabees and The Ascended Masters. He made no mention of another solo release or another Sunz Of Man one either.

The following is from One Step, well worth checking..

The one and only Cilvaringz is back from NY with some hot ass exclusive Wu-news for all the die-hards...check it out. First off all, LET MY NIGGAZ LIVE is going to be on the W. Solomon Childs (formally known as Killa Bamz) finished 11 tracks for his untitled album. So far, only Method Man is featured on this CD.

TMF contains of Tribe, Smiles and Prime Life. They are working on their debut album 'DART SICKALESS' on Starks Entertainment. Productions by RZA, RNS and other producers. A track to look out for is 'Sick & Tired'.

The track 'Valentine Day Massacre' off the Cilvaringz album now features 9th Prince, 62nd Assassin, Shabazz The Disciple and Blue Raspberry

True Master produced THE OLD CHAMBER for Cilvaringz. Moongod has now a total of 6 beats for the Cilvaringz album.

Aaliyah is definitely on 'The W,' so is Busta Rhymes and they are waiting for Snoop to come through. It's definitely dropping this November 21st. And they are going on a worldwide tour pretty soon.

From Sonicnet:

Eminem could be spending some time behind bars, if prosecutors in Michigan have their way. He is scheduled to be in a Macomb County Circuit Court on Tuesday for a pretrial hearing related to his arrest on weapons possession and assault charges, and a prosecutor said he's not interested in striking a plea agreement that might spare Eminem from possible imprisonment.
Macomb County Prosecutor Carl Marlinga told the Associated Press over the weekend that he has "made it clear to the defense that there should be some incarceration in his sentence for this type of offense."
"[Eminem is] like any other defendant for us in terms of the economic consequences of his actions," Marlinga added. "He's charged with a felony, and we intend to go to trial with this case as a felony."
Eminem faces up to five years in prison if convicted of the charges, which stem from an incident outside a bar in Warren, Mich., in June, during which the rapper, born Marshall Mathers III, allegedly pistol-whipped a man whom Eminem thought he saw kissing his wife, Kimberly Scott.
Mathers has since reached a divorce settlement with Scott, who in turn dropped the $10 million civil suit she filed against the rapper on the basis of intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The stance taken by Macomb County prosecutors is a tad harsher than that of their legal counterparts in Oakland County, Mich., where Eminem also was arrested in June, after he got into a dispute with an associate of rap duo Insane Clown Posse.

From Manhunt:

After three seasons on HBO, the popular and controversial series "OZ," is spawning a soundtrack. The CD, which will be released January 9, 2001 on Avatar Records, will feature the usual suspects including: Snoop Dogg, Cypress Hill, Method Man, Master P., Kurupt, Nate Dogg, Goodie Mobb and Three 6 Mafia. In addition to being an all-star release, the soundtrack will also serve as a fundraiser for prisoner rights organization, The Innocence Project, which helps to free wrongly accused death row inmates through DNA testing.

From Platform:

When Vibe magazine's sister publication, Blaze, went the way of ships lost at sea earlier this year, one of its trademarks managed to survive. The national emcee showdown, Blaze Battle, which was considered one the magazine's best assets, has now returned with new management and game plan.
Now owned by TMV/Shine Media, the two-year old Blaze Battle will conclude its Face-Off 2000 Tour with a World Championship event at NYC's Hammerstein Ballroom (located at 311 W. 34th Street in NYC) on November 2. The event will consist of winners and runner-ups representing each city from the Face-Off 2000 Tour, including: New York winner, E-Dub from Detroit and runner up, K.T. (Killa Tactics) from Boston; LA winner, L.O.W.D. and runner up, See For, both from LA; Orlando winner, R.K. the Fugitive from Orlando and runner up, Care Free from Atlanta; Chicago winner, Eyedea from Minneapolis and runner up, Prime from Chicago. The remaining contenders will be from the previous Blaze Battle.
The legendary KRS-ONE will host the championship, which will feature performances by Shyne, Black Rob, and newcomer G-Dep, Doug E. Fresh, and DJ Tony Touch. That night, Face-Off will be taped for a home video and DVD slated for a early 2001 release date. In addition, the Blaze Battle Home Video Series is planned, consisting of a documentary, greatest hits, the Face-Off 2000 Tour, and the world championship event, along with the BBQ (Blaze Battle Quarterly), a magazine dedicated to Blaze Battle.

Xzibit's "Restless LP," due out Dec. 12th, will feature Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Tha Eastsidaz, and Tha Alkaholiks, as well as Dre. Xzibit also will be laced with tracks from Erick Sermon, DJ Quik, and Da Rockwilder.

The driver who sped Sean "Puffy" Combs, Jennifer Lopez, and Puffy's bodyguard away from a shooting at a New York City nightclub last December is now suing the Bad Boy Records CEO. Warden Fenderson filed the $3 million civil suit against Puffy and Bad Boy Records on Wednesday at a Manhattan Supreme Court, claiming he suffered "personal injuries" and "the intentional infliction of emotional distress" during the incident and its aftermath, according to the "New York Post." In court documents, Fenderson admits that he picked up Combs, Lopez, and Anthony "Wolf" Jones outside Club New York on December 27th and says he was ordered by Jones not to stop the vehicle for anyone. The civil suit may be a mixed blessing for Combs, as Fenderson, who will serve as one of the primary witnesses against the rap mogul when his trial starts next year indicates that the 9mm gun found in the vehicle belonged to Jones and not Combs. Fenderson is also expected to testify about a $50,000 bribe Combs allegedly offered the driver to tell authorities that the gun was his.

This week, Dr. Dre and Eminem grace the cover of Newsweek. The story focuses on the ever-growing popularity of hip-hop and the violence, misogyny and greed contained therein. Although some fans might suspect that the periodical would be attacking Hip-hop culture, the attacks actually come from within the culture itself. Common, Mos Def, Chuck D among others are all asked to share their thoughts on hip-hop's current state. Writers such as Reginald C. Dennis and Cheo Hodari Coker are also quoted on their thoughts of where the music is. Most agree that hip-hop needs to go back to the way it used to be, but some disagree. The article also includes Ice-T, Eve, Nelly, B.G., and LL Cool J, all of whom speak on how far hip-hop has come. The issue is on newsstands now.

The Source will debut two new shows on the UPN Network this week. 'The Source Soundlab' and 'The Source: All Access.' 'The Source Soundlab' is a one-hour weekly hip-hop and dance program. It will premiere this Saturday at 1 p.m. and will be hosted by R&B artists Ray J and Busta Rhymes, who will guest host for three episodes. Upcoming guests include Mos Def, Prodigy and Nelly. 'The Source: All Access' is a one-hour entertainment magazine that will showcase different celebrities in music, sports, fashion, and acting. The show will be hosted by Treach (of Naughty By Nature) and actress Lisa Raye (Player's Club, The Wood). Upcoming features include Wyclef Jean, LL Cool J, Lil' Kim and ball player, Stephon Marbury.

From Platform.net: According to statements made in recent interviews, loyalty is something that rapper Busta Rhymes believes in, and this may be why his relationship with record label Elektra abruptly ended. Sources close to Platform have discovered that Busta and his Flipmode Squad have either left or been dropped from the label.
Our sources tell us that as a result of modest or lackluster sales from the Flipmode projects (Rah Digga's Dirty Harriet, Rampage's Scouts Honor By Way Of Blood, Flipmode's the Imperial), Elektra severed their ties with the imprint, including Busta. Supposedly, Busta's latest album Anarchy selling only 625,000 units to date and the departure of Lord Have Mercy did not help matters.
However, when Platform contacted Elektra and Flipmode, we were told that the rumors were not true, and that the artists where still on the roster. Strangely enough, Flipmode's management, Violator, gave us a "no comment" when we spoke with them, and asked that we contact them again in a few weeks.

MF Doom and MF Grimm have a double single coming out on Brick Records on November 7th.

Jakki Da Mottamouth is dropping his new 12" 'Widespread' very soon, it's produced by and features Copywrite.

J-Zone is coming back once again with a new 12" on Stonegroove Recordings "Zone For President"/"Metrocard Millionaires". Look for this to come out sometime in November. Also check for the Runnaways single featuring an all new J-Zone remix coming soon as well. Big ups to DJ Fisher for the info.

Rawkus news; on October 24th, Game Records are putting out a new Illacoin 12" 'Keep It Street'/'The Spirit.' On the same day, Interscope are putting out the new J5 12"; 'W.O.E. Is Me'/'Long Road'/'Long Road To Glory.' Now, Cage has been saying his new 'Suicidal Failure'/'Weather Report' (featuring Copywrite) 12" drops on the 31st of October, but according to Rawkus, it drops on the 24th....On the 31st, Rawkus release Rise & Shine's 'Gettin' It'/'In And Out' 12". Also, on the 31st, the next RE 12" is released, it being 'The Blast.' And finally, the last listed release is the new Smut Peddlers 12" 'That's Smut'/'Medicated Minutes' the b-side was in the new ish a little while back, so if ya sift through you could find it.

Lil' Bow Wow caused a big scene when he hit New York's HMV Records to help promote the release of his debut album, "Beware Of Dog." The 13-year-old rapper saw his in-store appearance at the Herald Square branch of HMV shut down on Tuesday after an oversized crowd got a little too enthusiastic about Lil' Bow Wow's performance. The "Bounce With Me" rapper managed to serve up at least a bit of his performance until his in-store was shut down after fans outside HMV began banging on the store's windows.

Puffy has been given a January 2nd, 2001 start date for his trial on weapons possession and bribery charges stemming from his arrest on December 27th, 1999, while fleeing a shooting at a New York City nightclub. The trial date was set during a hearing on Thursday in Manhattan Supreme Court, and Combs' bodyguard, Anthony "Wolf" Jones, and Bad Boy rapper Jamal "Shyne" Barrow will both be tried along with Puffy as co-defendants. All three men have been charged with criminal possession of a firearm, a 9mm handgun that was allegedly found in Puffy's vehicle as he and girlfriend Jennifer Lopez left the club with Jones following the incident at Club New York. Shyne also faces additional charges of attempted murder, assault, and reckless endangerment for allegedly shooting three people at the Manhattan club on the night in question. Another pre-trial hearing in the matter has been set for November 2nd.

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