B.G.
Photo: MTV News

This week, B.G. saw his friend Lil Boosie sent to jail after violating probation on a gun charge. His former Hot Boys bandmate Lil Wayne is expected to be sentenced to a year in prison for gun possession too. And last week, B.G. himself was charged with illegal gun possession in New Orleans.

According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, B.G. was arrested after he and his friends were pulled over for a traffic violation and allegedly found three guns, two of which were stolen. Despite seeing his friends catch less-than-favorable breaks in their cases, B.G. says he is not dwelling on the possible outcome of his own case.

"I know what comes behind what I do," B.G. told MTV News. "I know the consequences and repercussions of what comes behind it. Where I'm from, it's just like, that first draw is a mutha----a, the bullets raining out the sky. It's like that for real. It's a murder capital. They dropping like flies. I stay in the suburbs. All my neighbors are white and football players and doctors and dentists. I lay my head there, but when I get up in the morning, I gotta go to the projects and get some grits and cheese and sausage and toast. It's just something about that 'hood. I wanna post up and sit on the porch and get my hair braided. I'm just 'hood. The same way I came in the game is the same way I'm going out. I just can't see it no other way. I don't care if I sell 10 million, 20 million, 30 million."

But B.G. is also feeling optimistic. "My lawyers told me, don't worry about nothing, they got it," he said. "They gonna take care of it. The police report was written up real, real bad, so I feel good about it."

The 29-year-old's latest LP, Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood will be released on December 8. The record was supposed to drop almost two years ago, but it took Gizzle a while to get on the same page with Atlantic Records. The project will now come via a joint venture with Atlantic, E1 Music and B.G.'s own Chopper City Records. B.G. will be a free agent once the project lands. He says 75 percent of the music is new.

"I got the bonus tracks that was on there back then, featuring [Young] Jeezy and T.I.," he said. "I got Young Buck, C-Murder, Soulja Slim, Lil Boosie on there. I got production from Mannie Fresh, Scott Storch, KLC, Cool and Dre, Bass Heavy — the album is sick. I got a song called 'Yeah' on there. That's my favorite song. It's about me, it's about you. It's really just, 'Stay out my business and let me do me. If you look at me too long while I'm doing me, you might get something done to you.' "

Other collaborators on the LP include Lil Wayne, Yo Gotti, Juvenile, Trey Songz and the Justice League.

• B.G.

Photo: DJ On Point

• Joe Budden
• Lupe Fiasco
• B.G.

Game and Dr. Dre
Photo: Aftermath

• Game
• Dr. Dre
• Prodigy of Mobb Deep
• B.G.
• Scarface

• Lil Wayne
• Juvenile
• Cash Money Millionaires
• B.G.
• Birdman

Prince
Photo: Universal Records

The chances are good that Prince is going to party like its 1989 — the last time he hit #1 on the Billboard albums chart — only this time the victory is even sweeter. The musical icon sold 183,000 copies of his 3121 to earn the chart's crown, marking the first time one of his LPs has hit the top spot its first week in stores.

It's tough to imagine that Prince hasn't done it all over the course of a career that's coming up on its 30th anniversary. There couldn't be an unattained milestone left for him to shoot for as an artist, right? Wrong. This week Prince's 3121 became the very first batch of funk-fueled tracks in his entire catalog to debut in Billboard's #1 slot, according to the latest SoundScan totals.

It's his first #1 disc since the "Batman" soundtrack — he also hit the top with 1985's Around the World in a Day and spent a good chunk of 1984 at #1 with 1984's Purple Rain — to reach the albums chart's apex. Musicology, for instance, racked up a higher week-one-sales tally than 3121 — the 2004 album sold 191,000 copies — but failed to climb past the #3 spot.

Perhaps it was the prospect of seeing Prince perform live inside his Minneapolis manse later this year that bolstered album sales. Taking a cue from Willy Wonka, Prince's label placed purple tickets inside an undisclosed number of 3121 copies, which will admit those fortunate fans to the private gig.

With Prince on top, the soundtrack to the Disney Channel flick "High School Musical" has been unseated, but it only falls one spot to #2, with sales nearing 152,000. James Blunt's Back to Bedlam follows at #3 with 111,000 units scanned, while the latest effort from Barry Manilow, The Greatest Songs of the Fifties, rockets back into the top 10 thanks to a 140 percent sales spike. Manilow's appearance last week on "American Idol" helped propel the disc 20 spots to #4, with sales nearing 78,000. Ne-Yo's In My Own Words slides one space to #5, selling close to 72,000 copies, and The Legend of Johnny Cash hangs tough in the top 10, down two spots to #10 with 53,000 sales.

Prince's 3121 wasn't the chart's sole fresh face. Five new releases manage to penetrate the top 10 this week, while 13 others speckle the rest of the Billboard 200. New Orleans rapper B.G.'s The Heart of Tha Streetz, Vol. 2: I Am What I Am put up Billboard's second-best debut showing, opening at #6 with 62,000 plus scans. Both Sides of the Gun, the new one from Ben Harper, claims the #7 opening after selling more than 59,000 copies. Teddy Geiger's inaugural release, Underage Thinking, is right behind at #8, selling just 200 more copies than country star Alan Jackson's Precious Memories, which debuts this week at #9 with more than 56,000 sales.

Kenny Rogers' latest, Water & Bridges, net more than 44,000 scans to grab #14. A little further down the chart is Heroine, the sophomore LP from industrial screamo outfit From First to Last. More than 33,000 copies of the record were bought up — it couldn't have hurt that the band has been opening for Fall Out Boy for the last few weeks — to hit #25. My Chemical Romance's new live collection, Life on the Murder Scene, bows at #30 with nearly 31,000 sales — not bad for a DVD package chronicling the band's mercurial rise to "TRL" stardom.

The first Latin-flavored installment in the ever-popular Now compilation franchise opens at #36 with 27,000 copies sold; Now ¡Esto Es Musica! Latino features tracks from the likes of Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Juanes, Thalia, and Alejandro Fernandez. Chicago's XXX follows at #41 with 23,000 plus scans, and Christian rockers Kutless take the #45 slot with 22,000 units of their Hearts of the Innocent snatched up. In at #87 is the soulful Slow Motion 2 compilation, which moved nearly 13,000 copies on the strength of tracks from D'Angelo, Ginuwine, Floetry, Toni Braxton, Boyz II Men and other R&B hitmakers.

For Blood and Empire, the first major-label offering from political punkers Anti-Flag, debuts at #100 with sales nearing 11,000, while the Sounds' Dying to Say This to You debuts at #107 with 10,000 plus scans. The Game's forthcoming Dr. Dre-produced sophomore effort The Dr.'s Advocate, isn't set to hit stores until June 6, but G.A.M.E., a collection of old Game tracks, appeared on shelves last week and sold more than 6,800 copies to debut at #151. Murs and 9th Wonder's Murray's Revenge, occupies the #166 slot with more than 6,000 sales. Kill, the latest from death metallers Cannibal Corpse, checks in at #170 with over 6,000 copies sold, and Vol. 1, the debut disc from Hurt, takes #175 with nearly 6,000 sales.

• Prince
• B.G.
• Ben Harper
• Teddy Geiger
• From First To Last

Diddy
Photo: Bad Boy

A lawsuit filed against Sean "Diddy" Combs by Kirk Burrowes, who served as the president of Bad Boy Entertainment for three years, was dismissed Wednesday by a New York appeals court. Judges unanimously ruled that the allegations outlined in the suit were too old for the case to move forward, according to Combs' attorney, Benjamin Brafman. "The bottom line is, the courts concluded — both in the federal court and the state court — that this is a baseless lawsuit and it should have no right to continue," he said. Burrowes had accused Diddy of threatening him with a baseball bat and intimidating him into relinquishing his stake in Bad Boy. ...

Michael Jackson was due in court Monday for a civil case in Santa Monica, California, where he's being sued for non-payment, but the singer got the date postponed until February 15 because he had new counsel in the case. Meanwhile, Jackson is facing yet another child-molestation civil suit, this one from a man who claims the singer "repeatedly and forcefully" molested him starting when he was 2 years old, in 1987, and ending in 1999, when he was 14. The suit also claims Jackson gave the boy drugs, forced him to undergo cosmetic surgery, and stole his song lyrics. The case is due to be heard in Orange County, California, on February 14. ... Snoop Dogg and 3 Doors Down will headline Bud Bowl 2006 — two pre-Super Bowl concerts that will take place in Detroit on February 3 and 4, respectively. Both events will be staged in Club 1620 at Tiger Stadium. Fans must secure invites to the events through Budweiser promotions in area bars, clubs and restaurants and through radio-station giveaways. ...

Rapper B.G. has recruited longtime friend and former Cash Money associate Mannie Fresh to star with him in his video for "Move Around," the first single from his forthcoming album The Heart of Tha Streetz: Vol. 2 (I Am What I Am), out March 21. The clip, shot in both New Orleans and Atlanta with director Gil Green, marks the first time the duo have worked together since both parted ways with Cash Money (B.G. jumped ship in 2001, while Fresh announced in August he'd be leaving the label). "[Mannie and I] recorded a bunch of tracks and 'Move Around' was the song we decided to let everyone know we're collaborating again," B.G. said in a statement. "I've worked with [him] since I was a kid and I plan to continue to record with him in the future." Meanwhile, B.G.'s new disc will also feature tracks with Paul Wall, Young Buck and T.I.. ... Korn have inked a deal with Live Nation, which gives the concert promoter a financial stake in the band's overall career — including dough the band earns through publishing, merchandising, sponsorships and album sales. The deal's similar to one the band signed back in September with EMI Records. The partnership gives the promoter a greater incentive "to work in unison [with Korn] to attain common goals consistent with the band's goals," according to Jeff Kwatinetz, who is the CEO for Korn's management company, the Firm. "This deal allows them to focus not just on selling concert tickets, but on fully investing in the Korn brand." ...

Mandy Moore says that her breakup with tennis star Andy Roddick was one of the best things that could have happened to her — musically, at least. The singer/actress told Glamour magazine that the actual healing process "was the worst thing ever," but it gave her "an amazing record of songs about love and relationships." "I was just so depressed," she told the mag. "I was in New York, shooting a movie alongside Susan Sarandon and Kate Winslet. It should have been the most exciting time of my life. [But] nobody could take away that awful feeling in the pit of my stomach." Afterwards, Moore realized that she had "all kinds of ideas" for her forthcoming, as-yet-untitled new album, which she says is worlds away from her past releases. "Ugh, those were awful, just awful!" she said. "If I had the money, I would give a refund to everyone who bought my first two albums. Whenever people ask, 'Which of your albums should I listen to?' I say, 'Nothing but Coverage. Burn the rest!' " ... Former "American Idol" contestant Julia DeMato, 26, appeared in Danbury Superior Court in Connecticut on Thursday morning (January 12) after pleading not guilty last month to drug-possession charges stemming from an arrest on December 4. A court spokesperson confirmed that DeMato was in court, but said that due to the nature of what happened at her appearance, information about her case is no longer in the public record. The spokesperson said he was not able to give any other information or explain why the case is now behind closed doors. ...

Melissa Joan Hart is now a mom — she gave birth Wednesday to a baby boy, who weighed in at 9 pounds exactly. Hart and her husband, Mark Wilkerson, the frontman of Course of Nature, are naming their son Mason Walter. "He was a little stubborn, but all is well," Hart told People magazine. "Everyone is well, and we are all relieved." Mason is the couple's first child. ... Speaking of celebrity parents, while Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt wait to usher in a little tyke of their own, fans can celebrate the Brangelina pregnancy on their own, by sporting T-shirts à la the couple's movie posters for "Mr. and Mrs. Smith." The shirts, available at Spreadshirt.com, carry the actors' silhouettes and read "Mr. and Mrs. Parents, Coming Soon." ...

Material from the Misfits' recent gigs with Jerry Only, Dez Cadena and Robo is being culled for a live album that could be released later this year, according to the band's Web site. The group also plans on hitting the studio soon to start work on "the hardest, most aggressive Misfits material to see the pressing plant since Earth A.D." ... My Chemical Romance, Slash and Korn all have their own action figures — so why not thrash metal's answer to Spinal Tap, the nauseating and equally innovative band Gwar? Shocker Toys will produce 6- to 8-inch figures of Oderus Urungus, Flattus Maximus, Beefcake the Mighty, Jizmak Da Gusha and Balsac the Jaws of Death. The toys will hit store shelves this summer. ...

01.11.2006

Eminem's ex-wife, Kim Mathers, has applied for a license to marry Marshall Bruce Mathers III — better known as Eminem. According to The Associated Press, the license will be available from the Macomb County, Michigan, clerk's office Thursday. Em announced last month that he and his ex — who divorced in 2001 — would be walking down the aisle again, but there's no word yet on just when the marriage will occur. ...

Beyoncé may not be engaged to Jay-Z, but she's already planning the wedding. The singer, who is Cosmopolitan's cover girl as well as the mag's designated Fun Fearless Female of the Year, has decided that her Destiny's Child cohorts Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams will be her bridesmaids. "Right now, the tabloids are saying I'm pregnant, and they're naming the baby," Beyoncé told Cosmo. "It's hilarious. I don't know when I'll want to get married. I never pictured myself as a bride, but after my sister's wedding, I did start thinking about what kind of wedding I'd want. I don't think I want a big one." She says that if she does marry, though, she's going to change her priorities. "My mother was such a great mother and is still such a big part of my life," she said. "I want my kids to feel that way about me. I don't want to be away a lot, so I'm sure I'll slow down." Still, she wants to wait before she has kids of her own, since babysitting her nephew right now is enough. "Motherhood is not as glamorous as it looks." ...

Jamie Foxx, Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Destiny's Child and the Black Eyed Peas are among the artists nominated for this year's NAACP Image Awards. In the music categories, Foxx will be battling West (who earned four nods, including Outstanding Song and Outstanding Album) and the legendary Stevie Wonder for Outstanding Male Artist; the Peas will duke it out with DC for Outstanding Duo or Group; Keys and Mimi, who also scored four nominations each, will try to best Mary J. Blige for Outstanding Female; and Chris Brown will vie for Outstanding New Artist, along with Keyshia Cole, Leela James, Bobby Valentino and Omarion. Carlos Santana will be inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame during the taping of the awards ceremony February 25 in Los Angeles. The show will air March 3 at 8 p.m. on FOX. ... The Kaiser Chiefs and sensitive singer/songwriter James Blunt are the leading nominees for this year's Brit Awards. Both garnered five nominations apiece for the U.K. music industry's biggest annual awards show, slated to take place on February 15. Coldplay scooped up four nominations, while Franz Ferdinand, Madonna and the Arcade Fire each nabbed three. ...

After wavering between "Stupid Girls" and "You and Your Hand," Pink has chosen her first single from her upcoming album I'm Not Dead — it'll be "Stupid Girls," a satire of young Hollywood types. In the video for the song, Pink soaps up (and sexes up) a car à la Paris Hilton's Carl's Jr. ad and Jessica Simpson's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin' " clip. "I live in L.A., so it's obvious what I'm surrounded by," Pink told MTV News. "There's a certain thing the world is being fed, and my point is there should be a choice." ... Gwen Stefani's picked her next single as well — "Crash," which she co-wrote with her No Doubt bandmate Tony Kanal. "It sounds nothing like No Doubt," Stefani said of the song when Love, Angel, Music, Baby was first coming out, "but everything like all the inspirations we had. We came from a whole other kind of school than Tom Dumont or Adrian Young. We were all ska junkies, but Tony, he was really into Prince, the Time, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, and he turned me on to all these other groups. So to be able to write that style of music, to have these old drum machines, to do it that way, was really exciting. It was the exact song I wanted to write." ...

Killa Season should have started next month, but Cam'ron has pushed back the release of his new album and movie until April, according to his rep. ... The same goes for Busta Rhymes. The rapper announced on New York radio station Hot 97 Wednesday morning (January 11) that his new album, The Big Bang, is now coming out in April as well. ...

Sony Music is launching a new label called Music With a Twist that will be focused on music made by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered artists. The label is a joint venture with Wilderness Media & Entertainment, founded by Matt Farber, creator of the gay and lesbian channel LOGO (which is owned by MTV's parent company, Viacom). In addition to albums by well-known and up-and-coming artists, the company also plans to release a series of gay-friendly compilation albums, the first of which is due out in June, which is National Gay Pride Month. ... Every episode of the upcoming CBS show "Love Monkey," about a New York A&R rep, is going to feature cameos from musicians. The first episode, premiering Tuesday at 10 p.m., has up-and-coming singer/songwriter Teddy Geiger playing up-and-coming singer/songwriter Wayne, who is the subject of a bidding war. Geiger returns to appear alongside LeAnn Rimes and Ben Folds (who play themselves) in the next episode; and the week after that, Aimee Mann and She Wants Revenge will pop up. ...

David Bowie, Cream, Merle Haggard, Robert Johnson and Richard Pryor, among others, will receive the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award during a ceremony the day before the Grammy Awards. Their contributions will be noted during the Grammys, which will be held February 8 in Los Angeles and will be broadcast live on CBS at 8 p.m. ... Death Cab for Cutie are teaming up with PETA 2 — the branch of the animal-rights organization that works with college students — for an exclusive giveaway. Five lucky winners will get a copy of the band's on-the-road documentary "Drive Well, Sleep Carefully," plus some Death Cab swag. For more information, check out Peta2.com. ...

Christopher "Cool C" Roney, a former member of '80s Philly rap crew the Hilltop Hustlers, is set to die by lethal injection on March 9. Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell signed the warrant on Tuesday for the 36-year-old rapper's execution, according to a statement released by Rendell's office. Roney was sentenced to death in 1997 for the murder of a police officer during a failed bank robbery he carried out along with two accomplices. His petition to reverse his sentence was denied by the Supreme Court in October ...

• Diddy
• Michael Jackson
• Snoop Dogg
• B.G.
• Korn

With just one major release this week, live albums from veteran rockers and new releases from smaller acts get a chance to shine.

The heavy-hitter this week is newcomer Kevin Lyttle and his R&B-tinged soca sound. Backed by the radio and television success of his ubiquitous single, "Turn Me On," Lyttle releases his self-titled debut album this week.

B.G., the rapper who popularized the all-important phrase "bling bling," releases his Life After Cash Money. Guests on the album include Snoop Dogg, Soulja Slim and Juvenile.

After the loss of two bandmembers last summer followed by talks of calling it quits, Taking Back Sunday took back control of the band and put together a follow-up to their debut album, 2002's Tell All Your Friends. Where You Want to Be hits stores this week.

Pearl Jam and the Red Hot Chili Peppers barrel onto shelves with live albums. Live at Benaroya Hall October 22, 2003 follows a whole mess of live LPs released by Pearl Jam last year. The Chili Peppers' Live in Hyde Park is their first release since their 2003 greatest-hits compilation.

Swedish band Sahara Hotnights are back in action after a three-year absence. The group's third studio album, Kiss & Tell, drops this week.

Guns N' Roses bassist Tommy Stinson will release his first solo album, Village Gorilla Head. The album contains material the former member of the Replacements has compiled over the last 10 years.

Badly Drawn Boy is back with his fourth album, One Plus One Is One, the follow-up to 2002's Have You Fed the Fish?

The buzz around New York band Scissor Sisters has been steadily growing for some time. The androgynous group will release its self-titled debut album of glam-inspired rock, pop and dance tracks.

Alt-country band Old 97's drop their sixth album, Drag It Up, the group's first since 2001. Indie pop rockers the Kings of Convenience hit fans with Riot on an Empty Street this week. And on the harder side of things are releases from Kittie (Until the End) and Otep (House of Secrets).

Also hitting shelves is the newest "Now That's What I Call Music!" compilation, Now 16, with tracks by D12, Outkast, Beyoncé, Christina Milian, JoJo and a slew of others.

Out Tuesday, July 27:

• .38 Special - Drive Train (Sanctuary)
• Badly Drawn Boy - One Plus One Is One (Astralwerks)
• BG - Life After Cash Money (Koch)
• Big Satan - Souls Saved Hear (Thirsty Ear)
• The Briggs - Leaving the Ways (SideOneDummy)
• The Buffseeds - The Picture Show (Sanctuary/Fantastic Plastic)
• Comets on Fire - Blue Cathedral (Sub Pop)
• A.J. Croce - Aiden James Croce (Eleven Thirty)
• Gavin DeGraw - Chariot (Stripped) (J)
  
  
• DJ Nu-Mark & Pomo - Blend Crafters (Up Above)
• Trevor Dunn's Trio Convulsant - Sister Phantom Owl Fish (Ipecac)
• Eleven Hundred Springs - Bandwagon (Compendia)
• Danny Elfman - Soundtrack to "Spider-Man 2" (Sony)
• The Everyones - The Everyones (Tee Pee)
• Freddy Fender - Close to My Heart (Fuel 2000)
• Tony Furtado - These Chains (Funzalo)
• Moses Guest - Guest Motel (Aufheben)
• Anthony Michael James - Old Friends (V-Tone/Compendia)
• Kings of Convenience - Riot on an Empty Street (Astralwerks)
• Kittie - Until the End (Artemis)
• Lamia - Dark Angel (Metropolis)
• k.d. lang - Hymns From the 49th Parallel (Nonesuch/Warner Bros.)
• Alan J. Lerner & Frederick Loewe - Soundtrack to "The Little Prince" (Decca)
• Letter Kills - The Bridge (Island)
• Laura Love - You Ain't Got No Easter Clothes (Koch)
• Kevin Lyttle - Kevin Lyttle (Elektra/Atlantic)
  
  
• M83 - Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts (Mute)
• Malevolent Creation - Warkult (Nuclear Blast)
• Herbie Mann and Phil Woods - Beyond Brooklyn (MCG Jazz)
• Maria McKee - Live in Hamburg (Little Diva)
• The Meat Purveyors - Pain by Numbers (Bloodshot)
• Bob Mintzer Big Band - Live at MCG With Kurt Elling (MCG Jazz)
• Nedelle and Thom - Summerland (Kill Rock Stars)
• Old 97's - Drag It Up (New West)
• Otep - House of Secrets (Capitol)
• Pearl Jam - Live at Benaroya Hall October 22, 2003 (J)
  
  
• Phoenix - Alphabetical (Astralwerks)
• Pidgeon - From Gutter With Love (Absolutely Kosher)
• Doc Powell - Cool Like That (Heads Up)
• Punto Omega - Punto Omega (Metropolis)
• Mike Ragogna - Writer's Block (Collectors' Choice/ Bone People)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - Live in Hyde Park (Wea International)
• Sahara Hotnights - Kiss & Tell (RCA)
• San Ilya - They Died for Beauty (EMI/Capitol)
• Scissor Sisters - Scissor Sisters (Universal)
• Shifty - Happy Lovesick (Maverick)
• Starwood - If It Ain't Broke - Break It! (Metal Blade)
• Tommy Stinson - Village Gorilla Head (Sanctuary)
  Read: "GN'R Bassist Works Solo While Awaiting Chinese Democracy"
• Taking Back Sunday - Where You Want to Be (Victory)
  Read: "Taking Back Sunday Are Taking Back The Summer This Year"
  The Leak: Taking Back Sunday's Where You Want to Be
  
• Tomatohead - Punch (Blossom)
• White Mud Freeway - Last Year's Junk (Bar/None)
• The Wylde Bunch - Wylde Tymes at Washington High (Red/ Columbia)
• Hans Zimmer - Soundtrack to "King Arthur" (G2/ Hollywood)
• Various artists - Caribbean Playground (Putumayo Kids)
• Various artists - Forever, for Always, for Luther (GRP)
• Various artists - Now 16 (UTV)
• Various artists - The Notorious Cherry Bombs (Universal South)
• Various artists - Soundtrack to "Motorcycle Mania" (iMUSIC)
• DVD: Moses Guest - "Edit" (Aufheben)
• DVD: Various artists - "Reggae on the River" (Sanctuary/ Ras)

August 3:

• Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - Live (Vanguard Records)
• Marc Broussard - Carencro (Island)
• Cherie - Cherie (Lava)

August 10:

• Alter Bridge - One Day Remains (Wind-Up)
  Read: "Life After Creed: Alter Bridge Look To A Stapp-Free Future"
• Richard Marx - My Own Best Enemy (Manhattan Records)
• Mobb Deep - Amerikaz Nightmare (Jive)
• Shyne - Godfather ... Buried Alive (Def Jam)

August 17:

• Ryan Cabrera - Take It All Away (Atlantic)
• Saliva - Survival of the Sickest (Island)
• Talking Heads - The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads (Rhino)

• Kevin Lyttle
• Taking Back Sunday
• Pearl Jam
• B.G.
• Sahara Hotnights

B.G.
Photo: MTV News

A week and a half ago, rapper B.G. was forced to check himself into a hospital because of sudden chest pains.

But a few days after being diagnosed with exhaustion, the former Cash Money star was not letting a medical detour slow him down — he's already back at work on new projects for his Chopper City Records label.

"I gotta stay workin', man," B.G. said with a chuckle.

On the afternoon of August 7, B.G. was scheduled to travel from Los Angeles to Atlanta after he had been in town recording. That morning, however, the rapper complained of acute chest pains and checked himself into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, according to a Chopper City Records spokesperson. He was treated for exhaustion and kept under observation for two days before being released.

B.G. has been traveling between his hometown of New Orleans and L.A. and Atlanta recording a new rap crew, the Chopper City Boyz. Consisting of himself and new discoveries Hakim, Sniper and Gar, B.G. describes the Chopper City Boyz as his version of the Hot Boys, the Cash Money supergroup that once upon a time included B.G., Lil' Wayne, Juvenile and Young Turk.

"They what the industry's been missing," B.G. boasted of the new outfit. "It's gonna be big. It's both street and gangsta — and it has hooks.

"I've been working too much, just being on the road and in the studio," B.G. added. He admits that he got a little shook by the brief hospital stay, and that he may have to start monitoring his work schedule. "I've got to take it easy, lie low, be cool and work at a slower pace."

In addition to assembling his new group, B.G. is also busy working on new material for a follow-up to his most recent album, Livin' Legend. He said he expects to have the album completed in time for a January release.

B.G. also dismissed any rumors that he may be rejoining the Cash Money fold, a move Juvenile recently made.

"Never," B.G. said firmly. "Tell them I still want my money" (see "B.G. Kicks Drugs, Doesn't Need Baby's Birdfeed To Make Livin' Legend").

• B.G.

BG, Baby and Lil' Wayne from the "Bling Bling" video
Photo: Cash Money

The next time you and your pals coin a slang term to describe your latest bejeweled accessories, don't bet on keeping it exclusive. The linguistics "gangstas" over at the Oxford English Dictionary aren't "new jacks" to the latest "def" lingo.

The venerable definitions resource has already added other hip-hop-turned-mainstream terms like "jiggy," "breakbeat," "dope" and "phat" to the online updates of the 20-volume dictionary, and now it has started drafting an entry for the latest OED-approved term, "bling bling."

The term, which is used to describe diamonds, jewelry and all forms of showy style, was coined by New Orleans rap family Cash Money Millionaires back in the late '90s and started gaining national awareness with a song titled "Bling Bling" by Cash Money artist BG.

The rapper, who is currently promoting his new album, Living Legend, told MTV News, "I'm so surprised that that word has spread like it has. But I knew it was serious when I saw that the NBA championship ring for the Los Angeles Lakers had the word 'bling bling' written in diamonds on it."

And while BG once felt territorial about his much-loved term, he's since opened his arms to the slang's universal appeal.

" 'Bling bling' will never be forgotten," he said. "So it's like I will never be forgotten. I just wish that I'd trademarked it, so I'd never have to work again."

• B.G.
• Cash Money Millionaires

B.G.
Photo: MTV News

After establishing himself as one of hip-hop's most visible, prolific acts, B.G. virtually disappeared off the radar. Now, the man whose "Bling Bling" song became a national phenomenon and whose tremendous success as an independent artist helped secure Cash Money Records' landmark deal in the late '90s with Universal Records is finally set to return to the scene.

Livin' Legend, his seventh solo album and the follow-up to 2000's Checkmate, is scheduled to hit shelves in February and will be the first release from the rapper's own Chopper City Records.

"I'm not with Cash Money no more, so I'm sure people are going to be wondering if [my music] is going to be as good as it was when Mannie Fresh produced it," B.G. said. "I feel like it's even better. It ain't too different from what I usually do or what you've heard from me before. It's uncut, raw and grimy, what the game is lacking right now."

The 38-cut double album features production from Ke'Noe, newcomer Kidd and B.G. himself.

B.G. is eager to reconnect with his fanbase after his hiatus, which was caused by legal entaglements with Cash Money Records. "I've got to make up for the two or three years that I've been gone," he said. During his absence, rumors circulated that B.G. had OD'd, while other rumors alleged that he was unable to deal with his addiction to drugs, something he has rapped about extensively on his albums.

"It's no secret," B.G. said of his drug use, which he stressed is a thing of the past. "Everybody makes mistakes. Yeah, I used to get down. I don't get down no more and that's that."

B.G. doesn't get down with Cash Money anymore, either. After his second album, 1996's Chopper City, became one of the hottest albums in the South, B.G. became a bargaining chip for the emerging Cash Money Records, whose roster at the time also included Juvenile, Hot Boys and Big Tymers.

Once a deal with industry giant Universal Records was secure and B.G.'s Cash Money/Universal Records releases, 1999's Chopper City in the Ghetto and 2000's Checkmate were certified platinum and gold, respectively, B.G. said that Cash Money executives Ronald "Slim" Williams and Brian "Baby" Williams still would not pay him the money he was owed.

"I was young," B.G. said, who, now 22, had been a member of Cash Money since he was 10. "I didn't know no better. I looked up to them and respected them. I felt like they wouldn't do me like that, but I was wrong. [Baby] calls himself the Birdman, but he wants to birdfeed me. It's cool, you f---ed me over and I learned my lesson. It's time for me to move on."

Cash Money Records representatives did not respond to interview requests.

B.G. said he is still on good terms with a number of his former labelmates. He and Juvenile, who has also left Cash Money, are working on a deal to record another Hot Boys album together, while B.G. hopes to sign Turk, another former Cash Money artist, to his own fledgling label. In addition to B.G., his younger brother Hakim is also on the roster of Chopper City Records, which has a distribution deal with independent powerhouse Koch Entertainment.

While he waits to see how those developments unfold, B.G. is ready for Livin' Legend to hit the streets. "I covered everything," B.G. said of his forthcoming LP. "It's a full, complete album. I've got my sh-- on there for my street n---as, my hot girls, for crossover, my reality sh--, my club sh--, my radio sh--. It ain't lacking nothing.

"The streets ain't got to worry about me," he continued. "They ain't got to wait that long anymore. People have been waiting this long. They ain't gonna be disappointed at all."

• B.G.

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