Andy Samberg
Photo: Jesse Grant/ WireImage

It takes a lot of, um, guts, to name your first single "Ji-- in My Pants." But that's the plan for the unabashedly raunchy debut album from Lonely Island, the three-man musical wrecking crew led by "Saturday Night Live" It Boy Andy Samberg and his writing buddies, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer. The disc, Incredibad, is due out on February 10 and will feature some help from an impressive roster of heavy hitters, including T-Pain, Norah Jones, Jack Black, E-40, the Strokes' singer Julian Casablancas and, of course, Justin Timberlake.

With a mix of songs made famous in digital shorts on "SNL" over the years — including the Emmy-winning Timberlake collaboration "Di-- in a Box," as well as "Lazy Sunday" (co-starring Chris Parnell) and the Natalie Portman-assisted "Natalie Raps" — the album is meant to make you laugh, but Samberg said he wouldn't mind if you nod your head to it a bit too.

"We definitely wanted it to be a classic comedy album, but also one you put on more than once," Samberg told MTV News. "We've gone out of our way to make it musically pleasing. We started on a few songs that were not funny enough, for us, but they sounded pretty cool. And the bottom line for the project was, 'Is it going to be funny first and music second?' I think it's 95 percent music, and we hope people would throw it on and bump it."

The trio, who've been posting NSFW songs and videos on TheLonelyIsland.com for years, shared a home in Encino, California, over the summer and collaborated on the 14 tracks. Samberg said Universal Republic Records had been after the troupe to do an album since the "Lazy Sunday" digital short dropped on "SNL" in 2005. And, as Samberg told MTV News in 2006, the friends always did want to make an album.

"We finally had the free time to do it this summer," he said. Though some of the "SNL" songs have become instant classics, Samberg thinks there's an added value to the ones that never appeared on the show "because Jorma and Akiva aren't castmembers, and our songs normally require three dudes with very specific rap skills."

Though he was skimpy with the details, not wanting to ruin the surprise, Samberg did reveal that the album is heavy on hip-hop beats but has some of the signature new-wave goodness of songs like "Space Olympics" and the island vibes of "Ras Trent."

"Jorma makes a lot of the beats, but because we knew we had a set amount of time on this, we asked for any and all beats we could get," Samberg said. That resulted in a combination of homebrewed rhythms and professional help from reggae legends Sly & Robbie on "Ras Trent," as well as a few beats from Jurassic 5 turntable master DJ Nu-Mark and underground producer/DJ J-Zone, who has worked with everyone from Gnarls Barkley to Biz Markie and Pete Rock.

Samberg said he's particularly proud of the thump on the first single, "Ji-- in My Pants," which made its debut on the show last week with cameos from a mop-wielding Timberlake, checkout girl Jamie-Lynn Sigler and club hottie Molly Sims. "When I first heard that beat, it sounded like a Timbaland beat," Samberg said. "My first reference was a Missy Elliott club jam, and then we threw some generic Euro Brit dudes on top, because, to be honest, we don't have the chops to crush a Timbaland beat." The video, which features Taccone rapping alongside Samberg, was shot a week before the current "SNL" seasons started, and Samberg said he had "no intentions" of the Universal-funded clip making it onto the show, but once it played in dress rehearsal, the reaction demanded that it make it on air.

While Samberg admitted the three have an affinity for dirty jokes that end somewhere south of the equator, he said they tried not to make the album all locker-room humor. "I would hope that isn't our theme, but it was getting harder and harder to deny," Samberg said. "When we did 'Di-- in a Box' — and that's what most people know us for — it's an uphill battle from there."

Samberg promised that the album's T-Pain song, "I'm on a Boat," is "straight hip-hop," while the Jack Black tune, "Sax Man," finds the Tenacious D frontman singing his heart out. He also revealed that mellow torch singer Norah Jones (who appears on the tune "Dream Girl") is a "goofy girl" who loves comedy, and his normally dour buddy Casablancas shows some comedy chops that might surprise on "Boombox."

The record is also slated to feature Bay Area hip-hop legend E-40 on the song "Santana DVX," as well as the songs "Who Said We're Wack," "Punch You in the Jeans," "We Like Sportz," "Shrooms" and the "SNL" classic "Iran So Far" with Maroon 5's Adam Levine. There will also be an accompanying DVD, but Samberg said he couldn't talk about what would be on it yet because the terms are still being negotiated.

Samberg would love to take the show on the road, but for now, given his hectic schedule, that remains to be seen. "Some of us are more anxious to do it than others," he said. 

• Justin Timberlake
• T-Pain
• Timbaland
• Missy Elliott
• Norah Jones

Big Daddy Kane at B.B. King's Bar and Grill in New York on November 14
Photo: Dmitriy Goldin

"Rap soloist, you don't want none of this." What if Rakim did listen to a lot of cats in the streets back in the day, and took Big Daddy Kane's lyrics from "Set It Off" as a stone-cold dis? We might have seen the greatest battle of all time. Or, what if Kane decided to test the blast master KRS-One? What a showdown that would have been.

Last Friday night in New York, BDK was sitting back in chill mode, fantasizing about two dream battles with his peers.

"It would have to be Rakim and KRS-One," Kane answered, when asked whom he would have wanted to battle back in the day in a dream face-off. When asked how the battles would go, Kane displayed the humor that enhanced his obvious lyrical and style acumen in the late '80s and early '90s.

"How would it go?" he asked, before impersonating a boxing commentator. "Out comes Hardy. Griffin retreats back to his corner." (Kane's real name is Antonio Hardy, and Rakim was born William Griffin.)

A big burst of laughter immediately filled the room ("Mad Money" Murph, whom you've heard shouted out in plenty of Kane's records, was there as well). Then, getting a little more serious, Kane explained the rationale behind his dream battle.

"It's the type of thing where, if you gonna battle somebody to prove your greatness, you wanna go to somebody that shares that same seat with you," he said. "Those are probably two of the ones who I felt like [could present a challenge]. Also, [Kool] G. Rap, but I've always felt like G. Rap was like a brother. With us, it was friendly competition."

Kane was in New York on Friday celebrating his 20th anniversary in the rap game. Not only was he partying at B.B. King's Bar and Grill, Daddy Kane was also rapping, sounding as great as he did two decades ago.

"Well, who's gonna come, we will see," he said backstage before his performance. "That's based on surprises, but I know on my part, I'm here to have fun and do the damn thing. I wanna entertain and make sure people have a good time. It's a celebration that means a lot to me."

A little before showtime, friends and famous fans of the Prince of Darkness such as Ice-T, Sugar Hill Gang's Wonder Mike, Greg Nice, XXL Editor in Chief Datwon Thomas, Tony Rock, AZ, Roxanne Shanté, Positive K (who performed his classic "I Got a Man"), DJ Polo, DJ Enuff, Miss Info and Busta Rhymes crammed into the jam-packed building — everybody wanted to hear those hits.

"My best album is probably my second one, It's a Big Daddy Thing," the MC said. "I like a lot of the songs on there. It was put together ... just the structure of the album was tight." He said that Long Live the Kane was his favorite to make, though, because it was his first.

One of Kane's closest friends and collaborators in rap, Biz Markie, was the first to touch the stage on Friday night. The diabolical one set it off with hits such as "Something for the Radio," "Going Off" and "Pickin' Boogers." Roxanne Shanté then got onstage with Biz and the MC-turned-doctor blessed the mic with some throwback flavor on "Def Fresh Crew": "I'm Shante, he's Biz Markie/ Side by side, you know it's we/ No, I don't speak French, when I say 'we'/ I mean us two, not 'Yes, sirree'/ Everyone knows that I am much better/ Come on Biz Markie, get it together/ Talk to the girls, you know they are wack/ Tell those crabs they sound like cats."

Biz killed it, wowing the crowd while finishing off with "Nobody Beats the Biz," "Vapors" and "Just a Friend."

When it was time for Kane to come on, a live band, dressed in black suits and red shirts, played the beat to "Another Victory." Kane arrived onstage, wearing a black vest, red dress shirt and jeans.

His first four records were unmerciful: "Set It Off," "Warm It Up, Kane," "I Get The Job Done" and "Smooth Operator." The second verse of the latter was rapped over Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On."

Later, when Kane asked the crowd what year they wanted him to take it back to, a man in the crowd yelled, "Take it back to them bad Reagan years." As the show progressed, BDK told the audience, "No excuses now that Barack is in the White House," before going into "Ain't No Half Steppin'."

Kane's finale included cameos from Masta Ace, Craig G and Marley Marl, but unfortunately no Kool G. Rap. The Brooklyn King's send-off was "Raw," which made everyone in the crowd look forward to the 25th anniversary.

• Big Daddy Kane Celebrates His 20-Year Anniversary In The Game In New York

• Big Daddy Kane
• Rakim
• KRS-One
• Busta Rhymes
• Ice-T

Marley Marl
Photo: MTV News

NEW YORK — "Can you feel it?/ Nothin' can save ya/ For this is the season of catchin' the vapors."

In 1988, Biz Markie rapped about him and his music family, the Juice Crew, making the ultimate I-told-you-so, ashy-to-classy hit song, "Vapors." And why wouldn't he brag? Biz was on fire, teammate Big Daddy Kane had a hit record worldwide and the rest of their crew's core members — Kool G Rap, Marley Marl, Masta Ace and Roxanne Shanté — had established themselves in the game as well. Also in '88, the Juice Crew made one of the most definitive hip-hop posse cuts of all time, "The Symphony," which appeared on Marley Marl's In Control Volume 1 compilation that year.

Now, the team's rise is being documented and brought to the silver screen to mark the 20th anniversary of the Juice Crew's breakthrough. The movie is aptly titled "The Vapors."

"Right now, it's in the casting stage," Marley Marl, the legendary DJ and producer behind many of the Juice Crew's collective and solo hits, said about the film last week at Hammerstein Ballroom. Marley, who hails from Queensbridge and also works on outside projects for LL Cool J, was getting ready for a special gig: spinning as Nas' DJ during a recent concert.

Blackfilm.com had previously reported some casting choices for the film, including David Banner as Biz Mark, "ATL" co-star Jackie Long as Big Daddy Kane, Keke Palmer as Roxanne and Cuba Gooding Jr. as Marley. Marley Marl told MTV News the filmmakers have talked to a slew of talent but insisted that no definitive casting choices have been made.

"We're not reaching out — a lot of stars are reaching out to us because that's an important movie in hip-hop history," he further explained. "It's basically me, Big Daddy Kane and Biz's life story leading up to 1988. How we got there. How we made the golden era pop. ... A lot of ups and downs, a lot of personal sh--. It is what it is."

Marl, who dropped his most recent project, Hip-Hop Lives, with KRS-One last year, was politically correct when asked who he wanted to play him in the film.

"The best actor possible," he smiled. "We gonna tally it up at the end and see who it could be. We need the movie 'Vapors' to make its point, and a lot of the young kids to know what birthed the golden era. That's what it is. It's a 2008 release. My boy Furqaan [Clover] is directing it. I told him the idea, I fed it to him, and like within two weeks I started reading about it. So it's moving very, very quickly. They got the investors. This is something that everybody's excited about, and it should be one of the pinnacle [hip-hop] movies. You got 'Scarface,' 'Krush Groove,' whatever in your [DVD] rack, [you'll eventually] have 'Vapors.' "

Marley is currently working on the film score to the movie "The Wendy Williams Experience," a biopic revolving around the controversial radio personality. Clover is directing that as well.

Visit Movies on MTV.com for more from Hollywood, including news, reviews, interviews and more.

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• Marley Marl
• Juice Crew
• Biz Markie
• Big Daddy Kane

Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton at the Young Dems United fundraiser

WASHINGTON, D.C. — John Kerry returned this week from a snowboarding vacation in Sun Valley, Idaho, ready to dive back into campaigning for the presidency. And what better way to kick it all off than with a big party to help raise big bucks?

Thursday began for Kerry with a ringing endorsement from former rival Howard Dean (see "Howard Dean Gives Spirited Endorsement To John Kerry"). Later that evening, the Massachusetts senator was the toast of the town at the National Building Museum in Washington for a $1,000-a-plate "Unity Dinner" that featured a who's who of Democratic luminaries: Bill and Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, Al Sharpton, Wesley Clark and Dean.

But the real revelry began later that night when more than 3,000 young Kerry supporters flocked to Dream nightclub in D.C. The afterparty fundraiser, organized by the Democratic National Committee and called "Something New: Young Dems United," brought in a whopping $250,000 in small-gift donations. The people in their 20s and early 30s who populated the club danced nonstop to a mix spun by special guest DJ Biz Markie.

Star Jones, co-host of "The View," served as the emcee for the evening. She started out by expressing her annoyance over the 2000 election: "I had a blue dress all ready, and it was supposed to be for Al Gore's inauguration. I done lost too much weight to wear it now, but I still feel like George Bush and the Republicans stole that election. This year, we gotta whip 'em like they stole something."

Jones was followed by Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest, who came out at 10:30 p.m. to rally the crowd and to introduce Carter, the Clintons and Sharpton.

Hillary spoke first, stressing to the young audience, "This election is more important for you than for anyone else."

The crowd then went into a frenzy when Star Jones introduced "the man who played his sax for Arsenio Hall." Bill Clinton began with a partisan zinger, saying, "The Republicans want to privatize everything, except your private lives."

Brian, 26, an independent who was lured to the event by a friend, paid $100 at the door just to hear Bill Clinton speak. "He's so dynamic," he enthused. "Listening to Clinton makes it totally worthwhile."

Getting to the point, Clinton summed up November's election like this: "The Democrats and Republicans each have 45 percent of the vote with their respective bases, so it's all about who gets that remaining 10 percent, and whether each side shows up to vote."

Up next was Sharpton, who described Bill Clinton as "the last elected president of the United States," then railed against President Bush's stance on gay marriage. "It don't matter who you go to bed with if you don't have a job to wake up to."

Julie, 23, was one of many partygoers who predicted a strong young-voter turnout in November. "I'm an 'anybody but Bush' voter, but I do really like Kerry. There's a lot of young people who are really upset about the economy and what's going on in Iraq." Julie came to the fundraiser with 15 of her Democratic friends, all recent grads from Stanford University and the College of William & Mary.

Recent data seems to support Julie's hypothesis that more young people are tuned in to this election. A poll by the Vanishing Voter Project shows that almost half of all adults ages 18 to 30 said they had read, seen or heard an election-news story within the past day. In 2000, only a third said that was the case.

Michael Clearwater, 23, is less optimistic: "It's depressing because I don't think young people truly understand how important this vote is. It represents a huge cultural and societal shift, and it irks me that most of my friends aren't paying attention to the real issues."

For more political news, insight into the 2004 presidential election and information on registering to vote, check out Choose or Lose.

• Biz Markie
• Q-Tip

Britney Spears accepted an invitation to "Celine's Club" — a Montreal strip joint — and agreed to sing a duet with golfer Tiger Woods called "Let's Make a Hole in One" for charity before a pair of Canadian DJ pranksters admitted they were just pretending to be Canadian diva Celine Dion. Spears reportedly laughed when the "Masked Avengers" admitted they were pulling her leg. ... Billie Joe Armstrong cut his head on his surfboard while surfing in Newport Beach, California, last week. The Green Day singer was treated by lifeguards and is reportedly doing fine. ... Marc Anthony and Carlos Vives are the first performers announced for the third annual Latin Grammy Awards, broadcasting live September 18. Nick Carter, Jon Secada and Daisy Fuentes will be presenters at the show, which Gloria Estefan and Jimmy Smits will host. ...

England's Leeds Festival erupted into violence over the weekend as 500 concertgoers went on a rampage, burning more than 70 portable toilets and pelting police with bottles and trash, resulting in some minor injuries, according to organizers. A teen attending the three-day event — which featured the first Guns N' Roses show in the U.K. in nine years as well as sets by the Prodigy, the Strokes and Foo Fighters — was found dead in his tent, though his death was reportedly unrelated to the violence. ... Jewel selected budding filmmaker Marcos Efron from a field of 120 entrants as the winner of her video director search. Efron will be given $50,000 to make a video for "This Way" in Los Angeles this week. ... DJ Jazzy Jeff, Doug E. Fresh, Biz Markie and Public Enemy's Professor Griff will make appearances on the Underground Poets Railroad spoken word tour, founded by filmmakers Kip and Kern Konwiser. The outing, which begins September 3 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, will be filmed for a documentary that will benefit families of black firefighters who died on September 11. ... Footage from Sublime's final live performance, at the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma, California, in 1995, is featured on the DVD "Sublime: Live '94-'96," due September 10. The collection, which features a cover of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song," culls performances from 1995's inaugural Warped Tour, as well as several club dates. ...

Country music luminary Johnny Cash was admitted to Baptist Hospital in Nashville on Monday, where he was treated for an allergic reaction to either food or medicine. A hospital spokesperson said the Man in Black was in stable condition, kept overnight for observation and expected to be discharged Tuesday (August 27). ... After five years together, Phish drummer Jon Fishman's side project Pork Tornado will release their debut album on October 1. The Burlington, Vermont, quintet will support the self-titled LP with a five-week tour that begins October 9 in Northampton, Massachusetts. ... The first three albums and an early EP by seminal post-punk quartet the Replacements will get the reissue treatment by Restless Records September 3. The band's 1981 debut Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, 1983's Hootenanny and 1984's Let It Be as well as the 1982 EP Stink, will be digitally remastered and feature improved artwork. ... William Warfield, 82, the renowned show tune singer who crooned "Ol' Man River" in the 1951 musical "Show Boat" died Sunday. At the time of his death he was at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago recovering from a fall he took in late July. ...

08.26.02

Alien Ant Farm frontman Dryden Mitchell is recovering from injuries he suffered in a bus accident with the rest of the band, and he even made it to see friends Papa Roach in the Los Angeles area last week. A spokesperson for the singer said he recently had the halo removed from his upper body and has started physical therapy. ... Black Eyed Peas have pushed the release date of Elephunk to January. Will.I.Am and cohorts are still finishing three songs. ... The Offspring, Face to Face, Devo, Social Distortion, CKY and Good Charlotte will headline various dates on Tony Hawk's Boom Boom HuckJam Arena Tour, which kicks off October 10 in Tacoma, Washington. The outing, scheduled until November 17 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, will also feature a circus of skateboarding, BMX and motocross. ...

The much delayed Swizz Beatz Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories is now due December 10. Metallica, Ja Rule and DMX are among the guests on the album. ... Before touring with India.Arie later this fall, R&B newcomers Floetry will spend this week on the road with Alicia Keys. The video for "Floetic," the title track and first single from the duo's debut album, premiered last week. ... Eyes Adrift, the trio featuring Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, former Meat Puppet Curt Kirkwood and ex-Sublime drummer Bud Gaugh have coordinated a tour to support their self-titled debut, which comes out September 24. The dates begin September 25 in Dallas and are scheduled through November 7 in Tempe, Arizona. ...

Stone Temple Pilots have announced a new string of live dates, including a few festivals and a handful of dates supporting Aerosmith, via their Web site. Weiland and Co.'s latest round of performing kicks off at the San Diego Street Scene on September 6. ... Badly Drawn Boy will hit the road from October 17 in Washington, D.C., to November 8 in Los Angeles to promote his second album this year. Have You Fed the Fish? is due October 22. ... After six years with Cradle of Filth, guitarist Gian Pyres is pursuing a new musical direction. His departure comes while Cradle are in the studio working on their major-label debut, Damnation for a Day, which is due for release in February 2003.

• Britney Spears
• Green Day
• Backstreet Boys
• Nick Carter
• Marc Anthony

DMX is heading into a Chicago studio on July 16 to work on his next album, according to a spokesperson. No word yet on who X will be working with on the record, which is scheduled to drop in November; his book "E.A.R.L.: The Autobiography of DMX" is scheduled to hit shelves on October 8. ... Enrique Iglesias will release his first all-Spanish-language album in five years on September 17. The as-yet-untitled LP will feature the single "Mentiroso" ("Liar"), which will hit radio waves on July 22. ... R&B singer Glenn Lewis will be featured on the soundtrack for Jennifer Lopez's upcoming movie "The Chambermaid" and will also appear as himself in the film. Lewis hopes to hit the road with Donell Jones and Raphael Saadiq next month. ...

Jermaine Dupri and Ray Charles will be honored by the Atlanta Chapter of the Recording Academy at the Heroes Award ceremony on July 18. Janet Jackson and Arista Records CEO Antonio "L.A." Reid will be among the presenters at the ceremony, during which Usher will perform "Georgia on My Mind." ... Will Smith gave a free 10-minute concert in downtown Stockholm, Sweden, on Tuesday before a private screening of "Men in Black 2," according to the Associated Press. Accompanied by Biz Markie, Smith performed "Black Suits Comin' (Nod Ya Head)" and a medley of his previous hits. ...

The "XXX" soundtrack, slated for an August 6 release, will feature new tracks by Mr. Cheeks featuring Missy Elliott and P. Diddy (a remix of "Lights, Camera, Action!"), and Drowning Pool ("Bodies [Chris Vrenna XXX Remix]") and Bush's Gavin Rossdale ("Adrenaline"). The album will also include Moby ("Landing"), Queens of the Stone Age ("Millionaire"), N.E.R.D. featuring Kelis and Pusha T ("Truth or Dare"), and a slew of others. ... Ja Rule has been confirmed for International Night at this year's Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Along with Ashanti, Damian "Junior Gong" Marley, Rayvon and a host of others, Ja Rule will perform on the final day of the festival, which runs from July 21-27. ...

Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds currently has his hands full working in the studio with Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton and Backstreet Boys. Babyface also worked with TLC on their new album, which will be out later this year. ... R&B legend Bo Diddley, 73, canceled his performance at the Fleet BluesFest on Saturday following his doctor's orders after suffering chest pains, according to the Associated Press. Jimmy Vaughan will perform in his place at the event, which will take place at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York. ... Gnutella developer Gene Kan's death was an apparent suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to CNET News. Kan, 25, died on June 29 in his Northern California home. ...

07.09.02

A myriad of performers from all over the world, including Nelly, Musiq and Egyptian singer Hakim, will converge on New York's Radio City Music Hall on July 11 for 7-Eleven's One World Jam: A Concert for Global Harmony. The show will both help the convenience store chain celebrate its 75th anniversary and serve as the launch for its Education Is Freedom Foundation, which provides grants and scholarships to high school students who pursue higher learning. ... Is Ashanti now a reggae sensation? The smooth songstress will appear on International Night at Reggae Sumfest's The Greatest Reggae Show on Earth, which will feature performances by the likes of Rayvon, Burning Spear and Damian "Junior Gong" Marley and run from July 21-27 in Montego Bay, Jamaica. ... Ja Rule and Shaggy were also listed on the International Night bill on Sumfest's site, though their participation could not be confirmed at press time. ...

While Godsmack have yet to find a permanent replacement for departed drummer Tommy Stewart, Amen skinsman Shannon Larkin will be behind the kit when the band plays the Rolling Rock Town Fair July 27 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. The Boston-based band is currently in pre-production for its third full-length LP, which is expected to be released early next year. ... Ozzy Osbourne guitarist and Black Label Society centerpiece Zakk Wylde will join Soil when they play Ozzfest in Boston on July 16 and 17. Wylde will lend his talent to Soil's performance of their track "Halo," and the collaboration will be recorded for a future Soil album. ... The West Memphis Three benefit album spearheaded by Henry Rollins and featuring Black Flag covers by the likes of Slipknot's Corey Taylor and Ice-T is slated for release on October 8 through 2.13.61/Sanctuary (see "Slipknot's Taylor, Ice-T, Rollins Support West Memphis Three With LP"). A title has yet to be confirmed. ... When Homer Simpson goes to rock and roll fantasy camp in the fall, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards will be there to greet him, according to the Associated Press. "The Simpsons" episode featuring the pair of Rolling Stones will air in November. ...

R&B girl group 702 are currently in the studio and plan to release their third album later this year. ... Gene Kan, developer of filesharing service Gnutella, died on June 29 at the age of 25. According to the Associated Press, his death resulted from an unspecified accident and no further details are to be released as per his family's request. ... Kiss' Gene Simmons has contributed a track titled "Legends Never Die" to the new album by Doro, the former frontwoman of Warlock. Fight is due next month through SPV Records. ... Former Kittie guitarist Fallon Bowman is planning to hit the studio in August to record a 10-song demo with her new band, Amphibious Assault. Bowman, who posted a track called "Searchlight" on her group's Web site (www.spastica.net/aa), expects the album to be available in late fall or early next year. ... Paul Westerberg has lined up a month-long trek to support his latest solo album, the two-disc Stereo, released in April. The former Replacements frontman will kick things off July 25 in Los Angeles with confirmed dates running through August 18.

• DMX
• Janet Jackson
• Missy Elliott
• Backstreet Boys
• Usher

Masta Ace
Photo: JCOR

Even though rap dominates sales charts, radio and video play and has infiltrated the fashion and film industries, some hip-hop artists are less than pleased with the typically myopic, materialistic message of many chart-topping songs.

"I feel like the average hip-hop fan is not well-rounded at all," said Masta Ace, whose recently released Disposable Arts album makes keen, pointed observations about the current state of hip-hop. "Their musical diet is not a balanced one. It's a problem and it's unfortunate. There's nothing wrong with having some fun on a given night — I have fun like the next man. But it needs to be about more than that at the end of the day, but unfortunately not enough of our people have figured that out yet. My job in this is to be one of the providers of balance."

Indeed, the follow-up to 1995's Sittin' on Chrome exhibits the balance that such hip-hop acts as KRS-One, Outkast, Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, Mystic and the Coup provide. Disposable Arts contains several interwoven storylines that include one in which Ace enrolls in IDA, the Institute of Disposable Arts, where he studies hip-hop. Through skits, Ace's journey at the school is detailed, while the songs feature Ace's signature brand of clever phrasings, punchline-heavy lyrics, gripping tales of ghetto life and insightful political commentary.

Greg Nice delivers the chorus on the festive hip-hop commentary "Don't Understand," while the somber "Dear Diary" has Ace questioning his place in hip-hop's pantheon. The latter is a rare hip-hop moment, one where an artist portrays himself as vulnerable and confused. "Eh, yo, Ace/ Don't tell me you thinking about a return," Ace raps on the cut, assuming the role of his diary. "I'm kind of concerned/ When will you old cats ever learn?/ It's time to hang it up."

"It was self-analyzation," Ace said of "Dear Diary." "The lyrics on that song are the way I feel some days when I wake up. 'Why are you even considering making records anymore? Nobody's really checking for it anymore. You're wasting your time. There's maybe 10 cats that are going to buy your record.' I wake up sometimes and I feel that way. I'm being honest about my feelings and maybe saying some stuff that people might be saying."

Looking back at his career, which includes collaborations with Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, Marley Marl and others, Ace offers the thankful "No Regrets," a reflective history of sorts where he gives praise to all of those who contributed to his better musical memories.

On a less explicit narrative line, Disposable Arts explores the relationship between Ace's character and his roommate at IDA, portrayed on the album by MC Paul Barman, a white, Jewish, Prince Paul affiliate. Some of the interaction between Ace and Barman was inspired by Ace's own trip to college. He graduated from the University of Rhode Island and interacted with many Maine and Vermont natives who had never been around black people and had a cursory knowledge of hip-hop, at best.

Barman's character actively pursues hip-hop, though. In fact, he's even performing a freestyle rap when Ace first meets him in their dorm room.

The interaction between Ace and Barman is sometimes tense and always entertaining. Like the songs on Disposable Arts, these skits provide a riveting story of their own. "When people spend their $15 or $16.99 to buy a CD, I think they want to feel like they bought something that's valuable, that something was a good purchase, that somebody actually took time and put together a project," Ace said. "They didn't just put anything together, throwing some songs back to back and put a label on it. I really respect the buyer, the fan, the listener because I'm one and I know that I want to be entertained. I try to look at it from that perspective and try to make a record as if I was going out and buying it."

As a fan of hip-hop, Ace hopes to encourage fans to respect the art form and its architects. When he attended a recent Run-DMC concert, he was disappointed with the lukewarm response fans gave the legendary Queens trio.

"They deserve a certain amount of energy, a certain amount of love," Ace said. "They should be made to feel like they are some of hip-hop's pioneers. When people talk about them or when they're mentioned, people that really know give it up, but a lot of people could care less.

"I look at rock and roll and I see cats that don't do an album for 10 years and then tour and sell out stadiums," he continued. "I feel like we need to reach that point in hip-hop. Fans need to embrace their past heroes, still uphold and respect music that was from 10, five, three years ago."

Masta Ace, who has released albums in three different decades, hopes that Disposable Arts as well as other releases from like-minded artists will help hip-hop regain its balance. Coming from an era where such disparate artists as Biz Markie, Public Enemy, N.W.A, Too Short and the Geto Boys were all popular, Ace knows that it can happen.

"We have to reach a point where people want to hear more than one thing," Ace said. "From a fan's perspective, people are just feeding more into the pursuit of ice, platinum, cars and rims, and that's all that it's about.

"Sometimes I get depressed and wonder, 'What's wrong with people?' We all would like a nice car and jewelry, but you want people to be a little more well-rounded than they are."

• Masta Ace Incorporated
• Biz Markie
• N.W.A.
• Public Enemy
• Prince Paul

Crystal Method
Photo: MTV News

Following a successful Cyberfest in San Francisco last weekend, organizers have announced they will bring the electronic music festival to two other U.S. cities this fall.

Cyberfest Houston is scheduled for September 22 and will feature the Crystal Method, De La Soul, Biz Markie, DJ Skribble and Keoki.

Another Cyberfest will be held November 24 in Miami. The lineup for that show has not been announced.

Other acts slated for the Houston festival include Darude, Pharoahe Monch, Madison Avenue, DJ Icey, Christopher Lawrence, Dieselboy, Daft Punk contributor Romanthony, Aphrodite and Dave Ralph. They will perform on a 140-acre field.

Last weekend's Cyberfest featured the Crystal Method, Überzone and Mix Master Mike (see "Festival Lineup: D12, Crystal Method, More In San Francisco"). Eminem's group, D12, did not perform.

• The Crystal Method
• De La Soul
• Biz Markie
• DJ Skribble
• Keoki

Schoolhouse Rock<BR>from<BR>"I'm Just a Bill"
Photo: ABC Children's Entertainment

"Schoolhouse Rock" creator Thomas G. Yohe died of cancer on Thursday, according to the Associated Press. He was 63.

Yohe, the creative director of the ABC animated series during its 1973–85 run, came up with the idea for a cartoon that blended educational messages with ear-candy pop music while working at an advertising firm in 1971.

" 'Schoolhouse Rock' gave him the most pride in the world," Yohe's wife, Diane Sanden Seely, told AP. Michael Eisner, former head of ABC's children's programming and now chairman of Walt Disney Co., championed the show, which went on to win four Emmy Awards and spawn such classic tunes as "Conjunction Junction," "I'm Just a Bill" and "Interplanet Janet." Those songs and several others were remade for a 1996 tribute album that featured the Lemonheads, Ween, Moby, Buffalo Tom, Biz Markie, Better Than Ezra, Pavement and Blind Melon, who scored a minor hit with their rendition of "Three Is a Magic Number," featuring Shannon Hoon softly crooning the words originally written and sung by jazz legend Bob Dorough.

In 1998, the Roots and John Popper joined an array of artists on Schoolhouse Rocks the Vote, a benefit album for Rock the Vote that featured "Schoolhouse" covers such as Joan Osborne and Isaac Hayes' "I'm Just a Bill." Yohe graduated from Syracuse University and began his career in advertising in 1961. His survivors include Seely, two sons, two daughters, two stepsons, a brother and four grandchildren.

• The Lemonheads
• Ween
• Moby
• Buffalo Tom
• Biz Markie

Incendiary comic Chris Rock is back in a recording studio working on his third comedy album, "I Got Issues."

• Biz Markie
• Ghostface Killah
• Ice Cube
• Inspectah Deck
• Killah Priest

Bling Auction: Hip Hop's Crown Jewels

• Tupac
• Biz Markie
• Slick Rick
• Kanye West
• Pharrell Williams

Drumline Stars

• Nick Cannon
• Cassidy
• Biz Markie

Wild 'N Out: Season 1

• Nick Cannon
• Biz Markie
• Cassidy
• Christina Milian
• Common

Nelly, Kim, LL, Sean Paul, More On Source Awards Red Carpet

• Nelly
• Lil' Kim
• LL Cool J
• Sean Paul
• Clipse