Three 6 Mafia
Photo: Peter Kramer/Getty Images

Three 6 Mafia have discovered another perk of winning an Oscar: it's brought them a lot closer to Paris Hilton. The Memphis, Tennessee, duo's Juicy J told hometown newspaper Commercial Appeal that he and partner DJ Paul were in the studio with Hilton on Tuesday working on a song for her upcoming debut album. "We let her listen to a dance track and she really liked it and plans to record it tonight," Houston told the paper Tuesday. ...

Bad Boy Records rapper Black Rob (born Robert Ross) was sentenced to up to seven years in jail for grand larceny Thursday (March 30) in New York. Rob was picked up on a fugitive warrant February 24 after skipping out on an agreement to turn himself in January 24 to begin serving a two-to-six-year sentence on the charges. A spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney's office said the rapper was given the maximum sentence on the charge due to his flight. He will begin serving immediately. ...

In conjunction with their five-night Demon Days Live stint at the Apollo Theater in New York April 2-6, the Gorillaz are ushering in "a mobile musical adventure." By simply using their Motorola phones at the shows, fans will be able to download exclusive Gorillaz wallpapers, animation and a demo of an unreleased mobile game starring the animated stars. 'Rillaz mastermind Damon Albarn and a host of friends will perform the band's platinum-plus Demon Days in its entirety at the gigs. ...

Avenged Sevenfold frontman M. Shadows wouldn't be happier if he had scored a date with Jenna Jameson. This summer the band will join its heroes from Guns N' Roses and Metallica during a string of 10 shows in Europe. The jaunt begins June 3 in Nürburgring, Germany, at the Rock Am Ring Festival and concludes in Paris June 20. Avenged will play right before Metallica at three of the shows and will be the main support for Guns for two others. ... Two weeks after joining the surviving members of Alice in Chains onstage at a tribute to Heart for VH1 Classic's "Decades Rock Live!," Phil Anselmo hooked up with Alice guitarist Jerry Cantrell, Avenged Sevenfold drummer the Rev and cover band Metal Skool to perform Pantera's "Walk" Monday night at Hollywood's Key Club. Cantrell also joined the band for Alice's "Man in the Box." ...

Working with fellow "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell may look like it's tough for Paula Abdul, but the singer/choreographer has signed a deal to continue with the popular show for the next three years, according to The Associated Press. Abdul, the "Idol" judge who always finds something nice to say about each of the performers, said in a statement that the contestants "truly inspire and amaze me each week. Of course, I also look forward to putting Simon in his place for years to come." ...

Ruben Studdard — who took home the "American Idol" title at the conclusion of the show's second season — is doing his part to help teenagers step off the streets and into the music industry. The AP reports that Studdard is creating an after-school program called the Music Alternative Project, which seeks to steer kids away from gangs by teaching them the ins and outs of the biz, from songwriting and production to mixing and marketing. An estimated 100 students from across Alabama will be enrolled each year in free after-school music courses. The project will also provide weekend instruction and activities during the summer months. Birmingham's Audiostate 55 Recording Studios will serve as the program's home base. Henry Panion, a music professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, will act as director of the project, and Studdard has expressed interest in teaching some of the courses. ...

Johnny Cash's 1975 Cadillac Fleetwood will be auctioned off in Florida Friday as part of the Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach Collector Car Event. Jet-black with black leather interior (of course), the sedan has logged 50,000 miles and, except for a two-year-old paint job and rebuilt transmission, boasts all original parts. Full documentation, including the Tennessee title and tags that prove Cash's ownership, are included in the sale. ... World Wrestling Entertainment will use Danko Jones' "Baby Hates Me" as the opening music for WrestleMania 22. The big event is scheduled for Sunday in Chicago. ...

Sunny indie rockers the Concretes have one busy spring planned. They release their new album, In Colour, Tuesday. And as April albums apparently bring May tours, their three-week North American stint in support of the LP begins May 4 in Toronto and ends May 24 in San Diego. ... Ex-Unicorns members Nick Diamonds and J'aime Tambeur, now known as the Islands, set out on their first headlining tour in April. Fresh off a run of live shows with Metric, the duo plan to hit venues across North America with their opening act Why?. The Islands' debut album, Return to the Sea, — which features contributions from Canadian scenesters from bands including Arcade Fire and Wolf Parade — hits U.S. stores Tuesday.

03.29.06

Shakira might have said that she's lucky her breasts are "small and humble" in "Whenever, Wherever," but there was a time when she considered getting breast-augmentation surgery because she was unhappy with her body, the singer reveals in the next issue of Teen People. The magazine's latest cover star also said that wasn't the only plastic surgery she looked into. "I considered ... all kinds of things. 'Maybe my eyebrows should be higher. Maybe my lips should be bigger.' " Eventually Shakira came to accept herself, despite all the insecurities. "I'm actually shy; I've just learned to hide it." But her hips don't lie — and her dancing reveals more skin than she sometimes would like to show. "It's not my hobby to show my belly! The moves I do when I perform require it. People of America, I want you to know that I wear clothes once in a while!" ...

Diddy introduced a select few to the next phase of Bad Boy Records Tuesday night in New York. Sean Combs held a small party at his Daddy's House studio and previewed music by newcomers Cheri Dennis and Yung Joc and veterans 8Ball and MJG. ... Jack White is preparing to unleash his brand-new band, the Raconteurs, on America — for one night, at least. On April 7, the band — which also features Detroit songwriter Brendan Benson and two-thirds of Cincinnati garage-rockers the Greenhornes — will play its first-ever U.S. gig at Irving Plaza in New York. Tickets go on sale Thursday at noon via Ticketmaster.com. The Rac's debut album, Broken Boy Soldiers, is due in stores May 16. ...

Nick Lachey has decided on a title and release date for his second album: What's Left of Me, due May 9. The title is the same as the first single, which recently hit the airwaves. ... Paul Wall has titled his fall release Ain't No 401K for a Hustla. Wall is also set to appear alongside Lil' Keke on The Day Hell Broke Loose 3 compilation, due in August. ... Pimp-C will release a DVD documenting his experiences being incarcerated during the Houston boom in 2005 and what has happened after his recent release. "Pimpalation: Return of the Trill," hosted by MTV News' Sway, is due April 11 and will be followed by a CD called Pimpalation on June 13. ... Foo Fighters will be featured in a pair of episodes of "The West Wing." The shows will air Sunday and April 9 at 8 p.m. on NBC. ... Notorious B.I.G.'s family will receive $1.1 million from the city of Los Angeles after the City Council on Wednesday approved the amount U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper awarded in January. The money covers the family's legal expenses in a civil trial that was ruled a mistrial last year when it was discovered that the Los Angeles Police Department withheld statements that linked two rogue LAPD officers, David Mack and Rafael Perez, to the rapper's shooting. ...

Could it really be over so soon? That's what former Howard Stern listeners across the East Coast and Midwest might have been asking themselves Wednesday morning (March 29) when they turned on their radios to find Stern replacement David Lee Roth absent. Yes, preliminary numbers for Roth have not been promising, but a CBS Radio spokesperson denied reports that the former Van Halen singer had been canned just three months into his gig, saying the motor-mouthed morning man was simply taking a few days off to travel back to New York after broadcasting from Miami Beach Monday and Tuesday. Roth is expected to be back on the air Friday. ... Elsewhere on the dial, Mighty Mighty Bosstones singer Dicky Barrett has attacked Los Angeles' Indie 103.1 after he was recently fired as host of the station's morning show. In a statement released by his publicist, Barrett said he was fired for expressing his dislike on air for a Morrissey song the station was spinning and for an unauthorized pro-choice conversation he had with a caller. Indie General Manager Dawn Girocco responded by saying Dicky was not as committed to the show as he needed to be. ...

After complaints and a lawsuit earlier this year from a Louisiana man, Apple Computer released a software update Wednesday that allows iPod owners to set a maximum volume on their players. The free download works with Nanos and fifth-generation models that play video, and it also allows parents to set a volume limit on their child's iPod and lock it with a special code. The free update is available at apple.com/ipod/download. ... On Monday a judge ordered Michael Jackson and his ex-wife Debbie Rowe to submit copies of legal papers missing from their divorce file, The Associated Press reports. The documents, concerning the custody of the pair's two children, include Rowe's 2001 motion to terminate parental rights and an emergency motion filed two years later seeking temporary custody as well as Jackson's filing opposing his ex-wife's custody motion. Attorneys for Jackson and Rowe have 30 days to turn over the paperwork. A hearing has been set for May 24. ...

As he awaits his murder trial, troubles keep mounting for famed "wall of sound" record producer Phil Spector. A former personal assistant has sued Spector for more than $5 million in Los Angeles, claming sexual harassment, according to an Associated Press report. Spector sued former assistant Michelle Blaine in September, alleging that she skimmed hundreds of thousands of dollars from his accounts. Blaine hit back on Friday, saying that Spector authorized the payments to her, including those for a $700,000 house and that he sexually harassed her, sometimes appeared naked in front of her and once asked Blaine to find a prostitute for him. Blaine also claims that after Spector was charged with the murder of actress Lana Clarkson in 2003, the producer repeatedly proposed marriage to her as a way to block her from testifying against him. Spector's murder trial is slated to begin in September. ...

Eugene Landy, the show-business psychologist famous for his controversial relationship with troubled Beach Boys star Brian Wilson, died March 22 in Honolulu of complications from lung cancer, the Los Angeles Times reports. He was 71. Landy, who also worked with original shock rocker Alice Cooper and actor Rod Steiger, pioneered the concept of "24 hour therapy" when he began treating Wilson in the mid 1970s. Hired to work on Wilson's intense phobias and drug addictions, Landy took control of every aspect of the singer's life, monitoring him 24 hours a day and eventually acting as his manager and artistic collaborator, crossing an ethical line and eventually giving up his license to practice in California after admitting to a charge of unlawfully prescribing drugs in 1989. ...

Prolific songwriter Cindy Walker, known as the "dean of Texas songwriters," died of natural causes Thursday at the age of 87, according to The Los Angeles Times. Walker was known for the more than 500 sentimental, Western-flavored songs she wrote, performed by everyone from Roy Orbison ("Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)"), to Ray Charles ("You Don't Know Me"), with the latter covered by more than 75 artists, including Elvis Presley. Willie Nelson released an album-length tribute to Walker this month called You Don't Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker. Walker, often called the greatest living country music songwriter, was a charter member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1997.

[This story originally published at 12:14 p.m. ET]

• Three 6 Mafia
• Paula Abdul
• Black Rob
• Avenged Sevenfold
• Gorillaz

Paris Hilton
Photo: David Livingston/Getty Images

The night before "Crash" scored the Academy Award for best picture, the 26th annual Golden Raspberry Awards — prizes that no one in the movie business vies for — were handed out. The biggest Razzie "winner" was "Dirty Love," written by and starring Jenny McCarthy. The film took trophies for Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay; McCarthy was named Worst Actress, and ex-husband John Asher took the prize for Worst Director. Rob Schneider scored Worst Actor for "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo," while Hayden Christensen was named Worst Supporting Actor for "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith." Paris Hilton's work in "House of Wax" was recognized with a Worst Supporting Actress Razzie; Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman were named the Worst Screen Couple for their roles in "Bewitched"; "Son of the Mask" took the award for Worst Remake or Sequel; and Tom Cruise and fiancee Katie Holmes were named Most Tiresome Tabloid Target. ...

Bobby Brown was arrested in Webster, Massachusetts, Friday on misdemeanor charges of unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and having an uninsured trailer, The Associated Press reports. The minor violations, which date back 14 years, were noticed when a police officer conducted a routine warrant check. The 37-year-old singer was released on a $40 bond after being held for about an hour. ... Gordon Parks, a writer, musician, photographer and director best known for helming the movie "Shaft," died Tuesday (March 7) at the age of 93, according to the AP. As a photojournalist, Parks shot for such publications as Life magazine, though his most famous image — 1942's "American Gothic," showing a female black janitor holding a broom and a mop in front of the American flag — came while he was documenting life in America alongside such legendary shooters as Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans at the U.S. Farm Security Administration. His first film, "The Learning Tree," came in 1969 and was based on one of his own novels. "Shaft," an iconic detective drama now referenced in countless hip-hop songs and eventually remade with Samuel L. Jackson, followed two years later. ...

Former Blink-182 guitarist Tom DeLonge has settled on a release date and title for the debut album by his new band Angels & Airwaves — well, almost. According to a spokesperson for A&A's label, Geffen Records, the record is tentatively titled We Don't Need to Whisper but will most definitely be in stores May 16. ... That same day brings the debut album from the Raconteurs, the retro-leaning project featuring the White Stripes' Jack White, singer/songwriter Brendan Benson and two members of the Greenhornes. Their album is called Broken Boy Soldiers and features 10 tracks, including "Hands," "Intimate Secretary" and "Blue Veins." The first single from the album, "Steady as She Goes," is available on a limited-edition seven-inch starting Tuesday. ... Yellowcard have added several shows to their Virgin College Mega Tour, including stops in San Diego (April 18), Salt Lake City (April 21) and Wichita, Kansas (April 24). New Capitol labelmates Mae are opening. ... The Red Hot Chili Peppers have unveiled the album art for their forthcoming double LP, Stadium Arcadium, on their Web site. The Chilis have also posted a teaser trailer for Arcadium — featuring a snippet from the disc's first single, "Dani California" — as well as a 30-second downloadable "Dani" ring tone. Stadium Arcadium lands in stores May 9. ...

Pearl Jam have revealed the track list for their upcoming self-titled LP, which is scheduled to drop May 2. Thirteen cuts, including "Life Wasted," "Marker in the Sand" and "Wasted Reprise," will appear on the LP. The first single, "World Wide Suicide," has been posted to the band's bootleg site. ... Bad Boy rapper Black Rob (born Robert Ross) remains in the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack, New Jersey, after authorities picked him up on a fugitive warrant on February 24. Manhattan district attorney's office spokesperson Edison Alban said the MC — who had agreed to turn himself in January 24 to begin serving a two-to-six-year prison sentence on a felony charge for possession of stolen property — is awaiting a date for an extradition hearing. ... Daddy Yankee is the latest artist to partner with Reebok. His shoe and apparel line launch Wednesday. ... Elton John's annual AIDS Foundation Oscar party raised $2.9 million for the fight against HIV — almost triple the amount from a year ago, according to a spokesperson for the event. John Legend performed and sang a duet with John on "Ordinary People" and "Rocket Man." ... For one week, Sirius Satellite Radio is devoting an entire station to the music of Pink Floyd and guitarist David Gilmour. Classic rock channel the Vault started the Gilmour marathon Monday, just in time for Tuesday (March 7)'s release of the guitarist's third solo album, On an Island, his first studio outing in more than two decades. ...

A woman is being held without bond on a murder charge in connection with the stabbing death of former Jackson 5 drummer Johnny Jackson, who was found dead in his home in Gary, Indiana, on Wednesday. Yolanda Davis, 44, told police that she stabbed Jackson, 54, with a steak knife when he lunged at her during a fight, according to The Associated Press. Davis could face up to 65 years in prison if she is convicted. ... Paul Rachman's documentary "American Hardcore," a film that recounts the evolution of America's hardcore punk movement from 1980 to 1986, has been picked up by Sony Pictures Classics, according to Reuters. The movie, which screened at this year's Sundance Film Festival and will be featured at this month's South by Southwest Film Festival, includes concert footage featuring Black Flag, Bad Brains, Jerry's Kids, Suicidal Tendencies and Wasted Youth. Inspired by Steven Blush's book "American Hardcore: A Tribal History," the documentary is expected to hit theaters this fall. ...

Overcast, an influential, erstwhile Massachusetts metal band that counted among its members Killswitch Engage bassist Mike D'Antonio and Shadows Fall frontman Brian Fair, will regroup after eight years apart for a special appearance at this year's New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, set for April 28-30 in Worcester, Massachusetts. According to the band's Web site, it will also return to a recording studio in May to breathe new life into more than 10 classic Overcast tunes and record two previously unreleased cuts, all of which will appear on the forthcoming Reborn to Kill Again. Killswitch guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz (who has produced LPs for Unearth and Underoath) will helm the project. There's no word yet on when the disc will surface, but discussions with several labels are ongoing. ... Political punkers Anti-Flag have teamed up with U.S. Representative Jim McDermott, a Democrat from Washington state, to urge congressional leaders to fund a study on the use of depleted uranium as munitions. The band released a new song, "Depleted Uranium Is a War Crime," through the After Downing Street coalition's Web site. According to the band, the song is a critique on the military's use of the deadly chemical "without studying its long-lasting and detrimental effects to humanity." The cut will appear on the group's forthcoming For Blood and Empire LP, which is due March 21. ...

Saliva will perform at this year's Elvis Presley Festival, which is set for June 2-4 in Tupelo, Mississippi. According to The Associated Press, rockabilly, country and gospel acts the Dempseys, Cowboy Mouth, Jeff Bates, Travis LeDoyt, Chris Cagle, Chely Wright and the Landmarks join Presley's backing vocalists the Jordanaires in the lineup for the eighth annual event. ... Murderdolls frontman Wednesday 13 has entered a North Carolina recording studio, where he's started tracking the follow-up to last year's Transylvania 90210: Songs of Death, Dying, and the Dead. He's written more than 30 tracks for his sophomore solo outing so far, including "Buried With Children," "My Home Sweet Homicide" and "Morgue Than Words." Wednesday 13 will be producing the effort, which could surface in late spring. Wednesday's also recorded two covers ("Burn the Flames" by Roky Erickson and Motörhead's "R.A.M.O.N.E.S."), but it's not clear whether either track will appear on the as-yet-untitled LP. ... A federal judge has ordered Rod Stewart to hand over more than $3 million to a Las Vegas casino where the singer was supposed to perform in late December 2000. Stewart canceled the gig, claiming he was unable to sing due to a recent throat surgery, and the Rio Hotel and Casino filed a breach-of-contract suit to recoup to the $2 million advance the singer was paid. According to The Associated Press, Stewart was ordered to cough up an additional $153,483 in contempt-of-court sanctions and legal costs for withholding information from attorneys representing Harrah's Entertainment before the start of last year's trial. The court also awarded Harrah's more than $1 million in interest, penalties, and related legal expenses. ...

03.06.2006

Mariah Carey and John Legend were the big winners at the 20th annual Soul Train Music Awards Saturday, each taking two prizes. Carey scored a best album award for The Emancipation of Mimi and best single honors for "We Belong Together," while Legend took the best male album prize for Get Lifted and best male single trophy for "Ordinary People." Kanye West won best R&B, soul or rap music video for "Gold Digger" featuring Quincy Jones Lifetime Achievement Award winner Jamie Foxx. R. Kelly, who led the field with three nominations, fell to West and Legend for those prizes but didn't leave empty-handed — he was honored with the newly minted Stevie Wonder Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by presented by Stevie Wonder himself. ...

"American Idol" fans who subscribe to the Fox Reality Network can look forward to even more of the talent contest starting March 16. "American Idol Extra," which promises to "reveal the backstage drama of what really happens on 'American Idol' after the weekly vote-off show," kicks off after the first of the final 12 is cut and will continue through the show's finale in May. The show will follow that week's ousted finalist from tryouts through elimination and provide other "peeks behind the curtain," including updates on finalists from past seasons. "American Idol Extra" will air Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and again at 10:30 p.m. ... System of a Down will host and headline the fourth annual Souls benefit concert, which is set for the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on April 23 — the day before the Armenian genocide is commemorated. Proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the Armenian National Committee of America — which is lobbying the U.S. Congress to officially recognize the Armenian genocide — as well as other organizations that work to eradicate genocide across the globe. Tickets go on sale Saturday, and supporting acts will be announced soon. ...

Coldplay are taking a page out the Beastie Boys' playbook for their new live DVD. Much like the B-Boys' "Awesome: I F---in' Shot That!" concert film (which hits select theaters March 31), Coldplay plan to put cameras in the hands of five lucky concertgoers at their two sold-out Toronto shows at Air Canada Centre on March 22 and 23. Enthusiasts can enter the Coldplay fan-cam contest by watching "Entertainment Tonight Canada," catching the Coldplay song of the night and then logging on to GlobalTV.com to complete the contest. ... A number of bands have been added to the bill for this year's Bamboozle festival, set for May 6 and May 7 at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Living Things, Poison the Well, Me Without You, Silverstein, 30 Seconds to Mars, Saves the Day, Chiodos, Halifax, Endeavor, October Fall, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Amber Pacific, Cute Is What We Aim For, Gym Class Heroes, MC Lars, Men Women & Children, Moneen and the Receiving End of Sirens will all take the Bamboozle stage. Previously announced bands Fall Out Boy, Taking Back Sunday and Hawthorne Heights are anchoring the bill. ...

The debut disc from Black Light Burns, Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland's new side project, has been through the mixing process and should be ready for release later this spring. A definitive date has not been pinned down for the LP. ... Head Automatica have announced a slew of new dates that will keep the band busy through early April. Camu Tao will open for the Daryl Palumbo-fronted outfit between March 21 in Athens, Georgia, and April 5 in Farmingdale, New York. The band's forthcoming album, Popaganda, is expected in late May/ early June. ... Underoath are now shooting for a June 20 release for their forthcoming, yet-untitled album, produced by Adam Dutkiewicz, the Killswitch Engage guitarist who has also helmed discs for Unearth and Cannae. To keep them occupied between now and this summer's Warped Tour, Underoath have booked a 17-date tour with Poison the Well, As Cities Burn, Since by Man and Spitfire. That trek kicks off May 3 in Columbia, South Carolina, and wraps up May 30 in Memphis, Tennessee. ...

Riots broke out Saturday night outside of a punk-rock concert in San Bernardino, California, headlined by several British acts, including G.B.H., the Adicts, Vice Squad, Final Conflict, Broken Bones and the Varukers. A number of American bands, such as Total Chaos and Naked Aggression, were also on the British Invasion 2K6 bill. According to The Associated Press, the concert — held at the National Orange Show Events Center — attracted more than 1,500 punk fans. The police, who were responding to a report that someone had been stabbed at the event, attempted to prevent fights that broke out after a group of skinheads began shouting "white power" and were pelted with rocks and bottles by concertgoers. By the time the authorities were able to control the situation, two audience members were hospitalized with serious injuries while dozens of others sustained minor wounds. Two officers were also injured. The AP reports that two patrol cars were destroyed, local businesses were vandalized and fires were set around the arena. At least six people were arrested. ... Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore is amplifying his long-running Ecstatic Peace imprint with a recent Universal Records distribution deal. The label — which has been around since 1981, putting out short runs of records by Jackie-O Mother----er, Yoshimi and No Neck Blues Band — is hoping to break out of obscurity by developing artists in a joint venture with Universal. In the works is the first effort by Pagoda, featuring actor Michael Pitt ("Dreamers," "The Village"), and a "sick" extreme-noise recording between Moore and experimental multi-instrumentalist Prurient.

• Yellowcard
• Daddy Yankee
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Black Rob

Black Rob
Photo: Atlantic

Bad Boy Records rapper Black Rob is in police custody after being picked up on a fugitive warrant February 24 in New Jersey.

The troubled MC (born Robert Ross) was due to turn himself in January 24 to serve time for a burglary charge from 2004 but never showed up. He was MIA until members of a federal task force caught him at an undisclosed location last week, according to a spokesperson for the rapper.

Rob was originally arrested at New York's On the Ave Hotel in November 2004 after a hotel security camera tape showed him leaving a female guest's room with her pocketbook (see "Rapper Black Rob Arrested For Burglary"). He was booked for burglary and criminal possession of stolen property.

According to the spokesperson, Rob pleaded guilty on November 15 to criminal possession of stolen property, a felony, and was sentenced to two to six years in prison. He remained free on bail but did not show up as arranged on January 24, at which time a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. The rapper was not heard from until he was picked up by authorities.

A spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney's office said there is no information on where Rob was found but confirmed that he was picked up by federal marshals. Spokesperson Edison Alban said at this point the DA's office isn't even sure where Rob is. "He's under the custody of the federal task force, and it seems as if he's in New Jersey, but we can't confirm what happened to him after the 24th," Alban said. "We're still trying to get more information."

Rob has to return to New York to be jailed on the original charge and could face an indeterminate amount of additional time and charges for jumping bail, according to Alban.

It wasn't Rob's first tangle with the law. In May 2000 he was arrested on gun-possession and drug charges when he pulled over his car to sign autographs for fans and was seen passing a 22-caliber handgun to his passenger (see "Black Rob Arrested On Weapon, Drug Charges"). In September 2004 he completed a six-month prison term for failure to pay child support. He has also been sidelined in recent years by a kidney ailment.

Rob released his second album, The Black Rob Report, in 2005.

• Black Rob

Ashlee Simpson
Photo: Geffen Records

Between the release of Ashlee Simpson's chart-topping debut — 2004's Autobiography — and I Am Me came the infamous "Saturday Night Live" lip-synch incident, an embarrassment that could have crippled her career. Though Simpson recovered from the mistake, new releases from legendary artists Stevie Wonder and Rod Stewart made the run to #1 on the Billboard albums chart a tough one.

According to the latest SoundScan figures, Simpson pulled it off, claiming Billboard's blue ribbon for a second time. While Ashlee failed to repeat the sales of Autobiography (which sold over 398,000 to I Am Me's 220,000), she is two-for-two in the sibling-rivalry race. I Am Me trumps big sis Jessica's second disc, 2001's Irresistible, which landed at #6 with close to 120,000 copies sold. Jessica Simpson's 1999 debut, Sweet Kisses, opened at #65 with sales of 45,000.

Ashlee Simpson's latest was one of six new discs to make the coveted top 10, and one of four to surface in the top five. Simpson's closest competitor, Stewart's Thanks for the Memory ... The Great American Songbook, Volume IV, racked up sales nearing 193,000 for a second-place finish. Country star Martina McBride's Timeless takes #3 with over 185,000 copies sold while R&B icon Wonder finishes at #5 with A Time to Love selling nearly 121,000 copies. The only repeat in the latest top five is All the Right Reasons from Canadian rockers Nickelback, which sold 132,000 copies to take #4.

UGK's Bun B goes the solo route — as cohort Pimp C deals with legal entanglements — with Trill, which debuts this week at #6 with sales of 117,000 and change. Right behind Trill is Depeche Mode's Playing the Angel, which sold 99,000 copies to come in at #7. The Black Eyed Peas fall four spots to #8 with Monkey Business, followed at #9 by last week's #1, Alicia Keys' Unplugged, which sold fewer than 83,000 copies, a 58 percent slip. Kanye West rounds out the top 10 with 78,000 copies of his Late Registration leaving stores.

Country singer/songwriter Billy Currington's Doin' Somethin' Right moved more than 54,000 units to open at #11. California rockers Thrice notched the highest-charting debut of their career with Vheissu's #15 finish — the result of 46,000 in sales. Contemporary jazz trumpeter Chris Botti's To Love Again opens at #18 with 44,000 copies sold.

There were several other debuts of note this week. Black Rob's The Black Rob Report opens at #40 with nearly 27,000 in sales.Bryan Adams' Anthology — which features a duet with Pamela Anderson — takes #65 with close to 17,000 scans. Punk troupe Mest hit #116 with sales of nearly 11,000 for their newest, Photographs. The soundtrack to "Tony Hawk's American Wasteland," featuring My Chemical Romance, Thrice, Fall Out Boy and others covering classic punk tunes, opens at #148 with nearly 8,000 copies sold. And the soundtrack for the Showtime series "Masters of Horror" — which includes contributions from Mudvayne, Shadows Fall, Thursday and Avenged Sevenfold — takes #161 with sales of 7,300 plus.

Check out the feature"Ashlee Simpson: Everybody Has Moments" for more on Simpson's latest album.

• Ashlee Simpson
• Rod Stewart
• Martina McBride
• Stevie Wonder
• Depeche Mode

Black Rob (file)
Photo: MTV.com

Bad Boy recording artist Black Rob was arrested on Monday at a New York hotel for burglary and criminal possession of stolen property.

The rapper, whose real name is Robert Ross, was arrested at 11:45 a.m. at the On the Ave Hotel for entering and remaining in a hotel room, and removing jewelry from the room without authority, according to a police spokesperson. Ross's accomplice, Damien Ashmeade, was arrested at 3:50 p.m.

The rapper did not return calls for comment.

Ross was seen on a hotel-security tape checking doors on the hotel's 12th floor at around 4 a.m., according to The New York Post. He was also seen on the tape entering the room of a guest, Renu Vermani, and leaving with a pocketbook.

Vermani, a cardiologist visiting from Maryland, said that she was sleeping when the heist took place, but woke up to find $6,000 in David Yurman jewelry and $300 in cash missing, according to the Post.

Ross reportedly did not have the jewelry in his possession at the time of his arrest, but was convinced by police to call Ashmeade and have him bring the stolen goods to the station.

Ross, who last released an album in 1999, is planning to release a street album titled Bet on Black in December or January, followed by a double LP later in 2005.

The arrest is the latest in a series of legal and health-related difficulties for the rapper. In May of 2000, he was arrested on gun-possession and drug charges when he pulled over his car to sign autographs for fans and was seen passing a 22-caliber handgun to his passenger (see "Black Rob Arrested On Weapon, Drug Charges").

In September of this year, he completed a six-month prison term for failure to pay child support. He has also been sidelined in recent years by a kidney ailment (see "Mixtape Monday: Chingy Gets Mad At Nelly, Diddy Gets Mad At Haters").

• Black Rob

Beyonce (file)
Photo: Columbia

• Beyoncé
• Beastie Boys
• Notorious B.I.G.
• Diddy
• Black Rob

Dan "The Automator" Nakamura
Photo: MTV News

Even after landing a platinum album with the group Gorillaz, producer Dan "the Automator" Nakamura is busily monkeying around with other projects.

On February 19, Nakamura will release the compilation LP Wanna Buy a Monkey? featuring a Gorillaz B-side titled "Latin Simone" along with other tracks by artists Nakamura has been involved with over the past 10 years.

"Probably the most interesting thing on this record is a song called 'Smoothness,' which is me and Black Rob," Nakamura said last week from his home in San Francisco. "Rob and me used to work together back in 1992, and this stuff has never, ever come out. No one has a copy of it. It was six or seven years before [Rob] was with Puffy, and about five years before I was starting to come out where people knew me. It's real hot, though — straight-up hip-hop, and it's real special to me."

Wanna Buy a Monkey? will also include Nakamura's remix of Air's "Le Soleil Est Pres De Moi," the original version of which appears on the 1999 EP Premiers Symptomes, and "X-ecutioners (Theme) Song," his collaboration with the X-ecutioners for the turntablists' upcoming album, Built From Scratch. Also featured are songs by Lovage, his mood music group with former Faith No More vocalist Mike Patton ("Stroker Ace") and a cut by his group Deltron 3030, which features Del the Funky Homosapien and turntablist Kid Koala ("Positive Contact").

In addition to songs Nakamura had a hand in, Wanna Buy a Monkey? includes tracks he likes, but had nothing to do with: RZA/Bobby Digital's "La Rhumba," Brand Nubian's "Rockin' It," Tortoise's "Seneca," Doves' "Firesuite," De La Soul's "Bionix," Dilated Peoples' "Clockwork," Masta Ace's "Don't Understand," Zero 7's "Destiny" and Jigmastas' "Don't Get It Twisted."

Nakamura has plenty of other things on his plate at the moment. In the coming year, he plans to finish producing tracks for the solo album by former Rage Against the Machine vocalist Zack de la Rocha, which he refused to describe in any detail. "It's different than Rage stuff, but it's heavy," he said, adding that it's too early to tell when the record will be finished or even if the tracks he's worked on will make the album.

The producer will also work on the debut LP by Patton's new band, Peeping Tom, and start digging into a solo disc. He also hopes to start the next record by Gorillaz, who were nominated for a Best Rap Performance Grammy Award on Friday (see "U2, India.Arie Lead Grammy Pack").

"We've done work with Redman and D12 [in the meantime]," Nakamura said, "but we're really gonna try and get back in the studio next year and do our own thing."

Incidentally, Wanna Buy a Monkey? takes its name from a line in the movie "Cabin Boy," which starred Chris Elliott. An episode of Elliott's TV series "Get a Life" spawned the name of the Nakamura/Prince Paul collaboration Handsome Boy Modeling School and their respective aliases, Nathaniel Merriweather and Chest Rockwell.

For a feature interview with Gorillaz, check out "Gorillaz: In The Cage."

• Dan The Automator
• Gorillaz
• Black Rob

P. Diddy
Photo: Bad Boy

New York's Hot 97 has taken the Notorious B.I.G. lyric "True playa for real/ Ask Puff Dad-dy" to heart. The media Goliath now known as P. Diddy will perform as part of the radio station's Player's Ball on November 8, Hot 97 (WQHT) announced.

A spokesperson for the mogul could confirm only P.D.'s participation at the event, though a Hot 97 spokesperson said Diddy will also bring Black Rob and G. Dep to perform at the show and wouldn't be surprised if more members of the Bad Boy family came along.

Taking place at the Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the Player's Ball is the latest step in Diddy's stage workout regimen. In September, he took everyone by surprise by performing "Bad Boy for Life" on top of an 18-wheel truck as part of his arrival at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York (see "Britney, J. Lo, 'NSYNC Turn To Jungle, Ja Rule, Jacko For VMA Performances"). He also made an impromptu onstage appearance with 112 in August when they opened a New York date on Janet Jackson's All for You tour.

Of his scheduled appearances, he performed with other rap luminaries in a segment dedicated to hip-hop at MTV's 20th birthday party (see "MTV's B-Day Party: Stars From Aaliyah To ZZ Top Celebrate Channel's 20th") and rapped a two-song medley as part of the Source Awards show in Miami (see "P. Diddy, D12 Tape Performances For Source Awards"). He also broke out the bells and whistles for a full-scale concert in Jamaica as part of the Sashi Experience charity event (see "P. Diddy, Bad Boy Family Booked For Jamaican Charity Event"). All of those events took place in August as well.

Diddy laid down his game plan in late June, saying he would be popping up at clubs, small venues and surprise appearances to warm up for a tour he hopes to launch in January (see "It's A Beautiful Day In P. Diddy's Video 'Hood"). His last series of U.S. outings, the No Way Out tour, broke box-office records in 1997 and 1998.

Hot 97 said no acts outside of Diddy's camp are scheduled to be involved in the Player's Ball other than Funkmaster Flex, who will spin records throughout the night.

The Player's Ball is a swanky two-day, one-night fiesta where contest winners (who must be at least 21 years old) are put up in the Taj Mahal and given a pass to the evening's performance.

For fans who aren't able to cop free tickets from Hot 97, they go on sale Friday through Ticketmaster outlets.

For a feature interview with P. Diddy, check out "P. Diddy: All In The Family".

• Diddy
• Black Rob
• G. Dep

Black Rob
Photo: Bad Boy

Black Rob, Robbie O, Banco Popular or plain old Robert Ross. No matter what you call him, the Harlem native must feel that his career is almost star-crossed.

When he first got signed to Bad Boy, he had to play the bench, sitting in the wings for years while Notorious B.I.G., Mase, the LOX, Total, Faith and 112 received much of the label's attention. Then when Bad Boy CEO P. Diddy finally gave him his shot to drop his debut, Life Story, he was met with several album delays. Although it went on to sell over a million copies, early bootlegs ate the LP's sales when it finally dropped in March 2000. The biggest bane of Rob's life, however, has come via the judicial system. He said he's finally licked his problems, though, by beating weapons charges in June.

"I don't have any black clouds over my head," Rob said earlier this month, breathing a sigh of relief. "That's been my problem in this game. Whether it was [that] I had to go to jail, I just got out of jail or I was on parole and I had to wake up and go see [my parole officer]. There was just so much BS. I had to get away from all that." And if you're going to escape, why not lay low in a Jacuzzi? The Harlemite said that's what he's going to do when he's not in the studio working on his new album, which he's contemplating calling either Permanent Scars or The Rob Report. Planning to go down to Miami's South Beach next month to finish up, Rob — who has begun work on the LP with producers Ty Fife, Buckwild (who provided the track for "Whoa!"), Bad Boy in-house beatmaker Yogi and the Luniz — said he's evolved.

"I'm concentrating on putting together a lot of songs I felt I had to make," he said. "I beat the trial and I'm on parole but I'm not focusing on the trial or being in jail 'cause I did step my game up as far as living in the streets. I do have something else to talk about. Not just 'I'll rob you' or 'I'mma smack you.' My mind is advanced now." That acute mental state has secured his spot as P. Diddy's current franchise MC.

"He knows when I'm focused I'm unstoppable," Rob said matter-of-factly. "When I'm focused I could really be a factor." It's no coincidence that when P. Diddy wants to create a buzz in the streets that his label is coming with some heat, Black Rob is there. Rob's anthem "Whoa!" resuscitated Diddy's label, which had been left decimated by the commercial disappointment of PD's Forever and the departures on Mase and the LOX in 1999.

This year, Rob is playing the role of a thugged-out Energizer bunny again. His guest spots alongside his CEO on "Let's Get It" and Diddy's latest single "Bad Boy for Life" are helping to get the word out that they're coming to lock things down again. "I'm probably the most energetic person on this label," Rob said. "I'm up all night. I just came from the club. I'm built a different way. Puff always dug that about me." Funny how the tables turn. A few years ago, Rob and PD barely had a relationship. Now, the two of them have basically started a new Bad Boy family that includes G. Dep, Mark Curry, Loon and the Hoodfellaz.

"[Back in the days] I didn't know Puff like that, I didn't know Biggie like that," he said. "I couldn't go to these cats and talk about nothing, they was on another level. Just like now I'm on another level and probably a lot of the younger cats around here now feel they can't talk to me. It's just a star status thing. "But I hang with these [new] cats," he added. "I knew them for years. I brought G. Dep in the game. We can combine and make Bad Boy something real special. With the Hoodfellaz and Mark Curry, we been making records together for years. Loon, [I knew him] from Harlem. This thing right here is family for real. I can't wait 'til we start touring and brothers get to see what it's like to be out in the world and getting money."

• Black Rob
• Diddy
• G. Dep

Black Rob
Photo: MTV News

What a way to make your music-video debut. Surrounded by a diverse array of stars like Ben Stiller, Snoop Dogg and Pat O'Brien, up-and-coming MC Mark Curry almost didn't get his face seen in the clip for P. Diddy's "Bad Boy for Life." Guest starring on the track with P.D. and Black Rob, Curry was a little stiff during the video shoot and had to be given slight motivation.

"Puff told me, 'If you don't loosen up, I'm just gonna play your part and I'm gonna dance over it,'" Curry remembered with a smile. "That's all he had to tell me. I was able to jump right in there and do what I had to do." Curry and the rest of the new wave of Bad Boy Family members knew their roles when it came to helping their boss make his new LP, P. Diddy & the Bad Boy Family — The Saga Continues ... — just be themselves and listen.

"He guides you in the right way," G. Dep said of his experience in the studio with P.D. "If you got the talent, he's just gonna tell you what you need to do with it, and you take it from there. He's like a sculptor. You bring him the clay and all the material, and he's just gonna sculpt it to what he needs it to be." The Bad Boy CEO went down to Miami's South Beach to indulge in some R&R after his trial on gun possession charges ended in March. Pretty soon his new recruits started to filter down there to visit him.

"We didn't even go down to Miami to make an album," Black Rob said. "Puff just got off a trial, I was on trial [for weapons possession]. Everybody was going through their little thing. We just went out there to relax. We rented the studio in case brothers wanted to come in there and lay something down and not just sit around." "It was like a truck was off your back," said Marock, one fourth of the Hoodfellaz. "Everybody was happy. [During Puffy's trial] everybody's career felt like it was on freeze." With the family together, it wasn't long before ideas started to flow and tracks were laid down.

"Brothers didn't want to relax," said Black Rob. "Whenever we heard a beat, we was on top of it. We didn't even try to make this [album]. This was ... 'You my man, you wanna do a joint? Let's do it!' It wasn't like Puff was like, 'Get in the studio!' That's why I felt this. We were just focused on just doing anything, it didn't matter. Brothers ain't making songs like that no more." "Down in Florida, it was an incredible experience," Curry said. "You have a room with 12 [MCs]. When you put them all in one room and set a track out and be like, 'Only the best three gonna get on. The best three verses is what we working with,' and you see them cats coming in there with that heat, and you're sitting there listening to it. It makes you go home and step your game up." Diddy had a vision of taking things to the next level as well. Instead of making a compilation of his artists' songs as he originally planned to do at some point, he decided to do things bigger and make his own album — backed by his people, of course.

"Puff did the drill sergeant, the commander in chief," said Dep. "He gave us the regiment of what was going down and the time frame and all that, and we put it together in a matter of three weeks. Less than a month — we just worked hard everyday. It was casual but it was formal, it was professional at the same time. We just got it done." The work and play brought all of them — many of whom have known each other outside the industry for years — even closer together.

"It was just a crazy vibe to be around the Bad Boy Family," Curry said. "It's actually a family for real. It's like the game of chess: you have 16 pieces on the board and all have a purpose. As a family we all have a purpose, and our purpose is to win. We all have a style. When you put that together, it's a perfect team." Although no team can boast absolute perfection, the Bad Boy camp of 1994-97 came real close. P.D. and his artists Notorious B.I.G., Mase, the Lox, 112, Faith Evans and Total dropped hits almost on a weekly basis, bathing in platinum plaques, street credibility and heavy rotation. While his team's dismantling has been well documented, 2001 finds Diddy regrouped and refocused with an arsenal that includes rhyme rippers Kain, Loon, Bristal and Big Azz Ko and singer Cheri Dennis.

"We're not trying to compete with the first [squad]," Marock said. "We're trying to carry on, finish what they started. Every time we get in that [studio], it's like 'Big was here, Mase and the Lox were here.' It's a lot of pressure, we gotta do what they did." Black Rob, who's been on the label since 1996, said one thing this team has over Diddy's old crew is the friendship.

"When I came in, there was a lot of animosity in the air," Rob said. "They had Biggie, [but] Craig Mack wasn't even on the label no more. The Lox had been wanting to go to Ruff Ryders, Mase had been wanting to leave the game. Nobody was getting along.

"Then when Big died," he continued, "Puff was like, 'I'm not even doing this no more. I could do R&B and gospel all day long. I ain't gotta touch this hip-hop sh--.' It was a lot of animosity; I don't play that. All that riffin' and throwing chairs around the office — I'd rather be uptown on the block." While it's too early to determine if the new breed of rappers can duplicate the success of its predecessors, everyone seems to be confident. With highly anticipated albums from Black Rob (who went platinum plus with his 1999 debut) and G. Dep (who already has a Best Of ... mix tape on the streets) planned for this year, they seem to be on track.

• Diddy
• Black Rob
• Snoop Dogg

G. Dep Video Shoot

• G. Dep
• Black Rob
• Diddy

MTV 20th Anniversary Party

• Black Rob
• Boy George
• Huey Lewis
• Foxy Brown
• Blaque

• Black Rob