Baby and BG at Hot Boys Reunion In New Orleans
Photo: Ozonemag.com

A couple of the guys were missing, but it was certainly a start.

The Cash Money Millionaires reunited Sunday night at Dreams in New Orleans. Juvenile, Mannie Fresh, B.G., Baby and his brother Slim were all at the club for the last night of the Core DJs' annual weekend gathering. Hot Boy Turk is still incarcerated, and Lil Wayne, enjoying his first overseas trek, is in Europe on tour, so they were not present. Juvenile, who recently lost his daughter in a tragic murder, was said to be in good spirits.

Cash Money had planned to come back together — Turk, B.G., Mannie Fresh and Juvie left the label years ago — in February at the end of the NBA All-Star Weekend festivities, but due to a shooting at the club where the show was supposed to take place, the guys didn't get a chance to re-form.

"It was just going to be a moment in hip-hop history," B.G. said the day after the reunion was supposed to happen. "We all haven't been under the same roof together in over four years. It was gonna be a moment, and who knows what would have happened once we got in there? But due to it being Chopper City and it being New Orleans, they had a shoot-out in front of the club before we could even get there, and three people got shot, so they shut it down.

"I got a phone call saying, 'Gear up, everything is straight — we about to get ready to head out,' " B.G. added. "Then five, 10 minutes later, I got a call saying, 'They shooting around here, don't come.' Then I got a couple of more phone calls saying, 'They got yellow tape 'round here, police got it blocked off, it ain't happening.' ... I think you gonna have all us together real soon. I know it's gonna be before the end of this year."

"I knew nothing of it till I heard about it on the radio," Lil Wayne said of the would-be Cash Money homecoming. "I called [my manager. He] was like, 'Nah, we ain't going to that.' I was like, 'Why?' He said, 'Nobody paid us to go.' Simple as that. That's all I knew about it."

Hopefully Wayne will be kept in the loop once he returns to the States if the guys decide to hook up again. Meanwhile, we can definitely expect Wayne and Juvenile to appear on B.G.'s song "Ya Heard Me." The track was produced by Cool & Dre and appears on Gizzle's upcoming LP Too Hood 2 Be Hollywood. Trey Songz sings on the hook.

"It's the official Hot Boy reunion — the first time in seven years you hear Juvenile, B.G. and Lil Wayne all on the same record," Dre told us last week of his and Cool's production. "And it's crazy. It's coming out really, really soon. It's a record I'm proud of.

"They just got together," he added. "You know they all been going through some sh--. They all been through traumatic things in the past couple months. With Mannie Fresh's sister passing, and Juvenile's daughter, and with all the controversy surrounding Wayne, Birdman had a loss in his family. They lost their city to Katrina. I think this record is going to be healing for New Orleans, because they're the sons of New Orleans. They belong to that city. So when the city hears the record, they're gonna feel good. I'm just happy to be a part of it, to be honest with you. Lil Wayne is singing the hook with Trey Songz. It's just crazy."

• Hot Boys Reunite In New Orleans

• Cash Money Millionaires
• Juvenile
• Mannie Fresh

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

Juvenile
Photo: MTV News

Juvenile and Lil Wayne used to be friends as part of the New Orleans rap group the Hot Boys. But that alliance has since gone cold, and now Juve says he doesn't have any time for his former recording partner and pal.

"I got a 15-year-old daughter. I got a 13-year-old son. You think I got time to be playing with this little boy?" Juve said.

In fact, Wayne and Juve's fallout has put a capital "F" in "former." Words have flown back and forth between the two since shortly after Wayne released the ode to the Hot Boys via "I Miss My Dawgs" on 2004's The Carter.

"That was fake," Juve said of the record. "One day he'll make a record and it'll sound so sincere. Then the next day he gets on TV and he ain't got nothing good to say about us. ... Did you [say you miss us] to sell a record? I been in situations with the dude where I felt he only shook my hand because he was scared."

To make a long story short, when Wayne went on BET to promote his Tha Carter II LP, he addressed some of the people who have left Cash Money, like Juve and B.G. The two have since dissed him on mixtapes and proper albums.

Juvenile — who just released his eighth LP, Reality Check, on Atlantic — says he feels reborn with his new record deal. After all, Juve says he dislikes Cash Money CEO Baby even more than Wayne.

"It was fun," Juve said about recording the album. "Just knowing that you're working for yourself. Every song, every beat, I'm thinking, 'This is my statement.' I'm looking at this as my first album. For the first time I'm in charge. I'm controlling my own destiny with the help of Atlantic. When I started with this album, I knew that I wanted to do songs that related to the other albums I did before. Not replicate them, but do them better. This album is based upon good music."

The song garnering Juve the most attention right now is "Get Ya Hustle On." The video, which was filmed in New Orleans, overtly mocks government officials and President Bush. Although Juve doesn't rap in an angry tone on the record, it's clear that he's lashing out.

"Everybody needs a check from FEMA," he raps. "Man, I'm trying to live/ I lost it all in Katrina/ And nobody cares what the police think."

"It's a motivational record," Juve explained unapologetically. "It's really telling you, 'Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You knew the government wasn't going to do nothing for you anyway.' There's not a person in this country that doesn't have the mindset, 'Man, this country don't care about me.' Truthfully. You ask the general public, they gonna say that. I'm saying to them, 'Look, man, go get your hustle on. Do whatever you have to do. I don't care what you have to do. You don't have no job, they ain't trying to give you no job. You got mouths to feed.' That's what the song is about. Do whatever you have to do to eat. Back to the old Malcolm X speech, 'By any means necessary.' ... When I tell you I'm angry, I'm angry."

Juve — who harbors conspiracy theories about the levees being breached — lost his newly built house and a myriad of other possessions in the tragedy (see "Juvenile, 3 Doors Down Among Those Affected By Disaster"). He's been back to the city a few times since the catastrophe, but says nothing compares to what he saw when he went back the first time.

"It's looked like '28 Days Later' or 'War of the Worlds,' " he said about returning shortly after Katrina hit. "Everything is tore up. Cars on top of houses. It was emotional, real emotional looking at my house, 'cause I just finished building it right before the hurricane hit. But material things for me, I don't worry about it. That's what insurance is for. I wish I had insurance for everybody.

"When you see that, it'll bring tears to your eyes," he continued. " 'Cause you know you looking at death. You know a lot of people lost their lives ... even if they didn't lose their heartbeats. A lot of people still living, but dead. Like the land of the walking dead. It's even worse now in New Orleans than it was the day after the hurricane."

Notwithstanding his disdain for Cash Money and the federal government, Reality Check mostly sticks to Juve's trademark feel-good anthems. Juve says he was especially excited to work with a bevy of guest stars — including Mike Jones, Paul Wall and Brian McKnight — a privilege he didn't have while on Cash Money. Besides his onetime labelmates, Juve said he can count on one hand how many cameos he had during his seven-album tenure with CMR.

"It was double jeopardy for me," he said about working with guest stars in the past. "I was in a company that didn't want to spend money on features except for the people in the company. That was another reason I had to leave: Somebody was hating on me."

It's not all bad with his former labelmates, though. Juve says he's still close with Turk and B.G. and producer Mannie Fresh, who also made a Cash Money exodus after Juve did.

"Me and Mannie been doing things together," he said. "He just produced B.G.'s new single. I like it. We back in the mode we used to be in — minus Cash Money and minus Wayne."

There has been talk of Juve, Fresh and B.G. going on tour and recording an album together, but nothing official has been announced as of yet.

• Juvenile
• Cash Money Millionaires
• Lil Wayne

Photo: Koch Records

• Jim Jones
• Cash Money Millionaires

Jay-Z distributes holiday gifts
Photo: MTV News

Maybe deep down inside, everyone — even pop stars, rappers, actors and professional wrestlers — wants to be Santa, at least for a little while. That might explain why so many celebrities are passing up their day jobs to walk a mile in the big guy's black boots this holiday season.

For Christina Aguilera, Jay-Z and others, home is where the heart (and the giving) is. Jay is once again expected to spend his Christmas in Brooklyn, New York's Marcy Projects, where he hands out toys to children from his old stomping grounds. Aguilera — who grew up in the Pittsburgh suburb of Wexford, Pennsylvania — visited the Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh earlier this week, where she signed autographs and posed for photos with women and children who call the shelter home.

LL Cool J actually dressed for the season, playing Santa at Russell Simmons' annual holiday party (see "LL Cool J Plays Santa With A Pimp Roll At Holiday Party; Jay-Z, Da Band On Hand"). P. Diddy, Jay-Z, Kanye West and Da Band were also on hand for the event, staged for 250 disadvantaged New York children who participate in various city art programs.

New Orleans' Cash Money Millionaires once again got into the spirit of the season early, serving up Thanksgiving turkey and trimmings to families in that city's Magnolia Projects, and this year Wu-Tang Clan's Ghostface Killah handed out 1,000 sleeping bags to New York's homeless.

"We're just giving somebody a little warmth over their back," Ghostface Killah said. "There's too many millionaires out here for the world to be starvin' like that" (see "Ghostface Killah Confirms Wu-Tang Clan Will Reunite In 2004").

Still others are taking the holiday spirit on the road, helping men and women serving their country far from home. Ben Affleck visited members of the Navy and Marines stationed in the Persian Gulf on the USS Enterprise on Monday. The actor signed autographs, posed for photos and enjoyed a meal during his time with the troops.

Meanwhile, members of the WWE took their show to troops stationed in Iraq and Kuwait as part of Operation USO Care Package, which turns civilian donations into packages for soldiers abroad. Chris Benoit, the Big Show, Torrie Wilson, Sable, Eddie Guerrero, John Cena, Bradshaw, Farooq, Rikishi, Rhyno, Dawn Marie and WWE owner Vince McMahon were among those who made the trip this week to deliver the USO packages and provide a bit of entertainment for the troops. Footage from the visit will air on a Christmas night edition of "Smackdown" on UPN. The WWE's Kurt Angle was in Kuwait earlier this month — alongside NASCAR driver Mike Wallace and comedian Robin Williams — to open a new USO center at Camp Wolverine.

Former "Saturday Night Live" star and current host of "Tough Crowd" Colin Quinn is also on his way to the Persian Gulf, along with fellow comedians Laurie Kilmartin and Jim Norton, for a holiday comedy tour. The three will meet with troops, tour facilities in the area and — of course — perform during a brief trek stretching from just after Christmas into early next year.

• Jay-Z
• Christina Aguilera
• Cash Money Millionaires
• LL Cool J

Lil' Wayne
Photo: Cash Money

Not too long ago, the Cash Money Millionaires clique was one of the most prolific and potent crews in all of hip-hop. With artist albums from the likes of Lil' Wayne and B.G. to super-group collabos like the Hot Boys, Cash Money were on everyone's radar.

Now, after a short absence from the bling, Cash Money are rolling thick again, preparing to release an onslaught of new albums, including Lil' Weezy's latest, The Carter, scheduled for release on November 18, and new records from the Big Tymers, Juvenile and producer Mannie Fresh. But don't call it a comeback, says Lil' Wayne — Cash Money's been here the whole time.

"We ain't never left," barked Lil' Wayne defiantly. "Yeah, we turnin' our heads back to our yard this time. But all the time we did lay off, we was preparing. Now, we're going to be hitting you with all kinds of blows."

Weezy was only a 13-year-old kid when he joined Cash Money after being recruited by label founder Baby. Even though he's still the youngest in the crew, he's already a leathered rap veteran with what will be his fourth solo album by the age of 20. On the single "Get Something," you can hear the growth in his voice: His heaving yelps have given way to deeper, more resonant barks. Wayne says he finds himself just as hungry, if not hungrier, than he ever was in his adolescence.

"Back when I first started, it was like doing your homework," he explained. "It was like I was putting a song together just so I could get onstage, get the money, get the girls. Now it's different. Now it's like there's a whole other meaning behind this."

On The Carter, which he titled after his own surname and the fictional housing project in the 1991 flick "New Jack City," Lil' Wayne raps a lot about life, he says, like fatherhood and handling success at a young age.

On "I Miss My Dog," Wayne surprisingly reflects on his early Cash Money days, specifically the time when B.G. and Juvenile were still down with them, before they had a falling out last year (see "B.G. Kicks Drugs, Doesn't Need Baby's Birdfeed To Make Livin' Legend"). Rarely do rappers get sentimental about the past between the posturing and the boasts, but Wayne says it was something he was feeling at the time. "The Hot Boys, it's just a real factor," he admitted. "I don't want to give away what it's about but when people hear it, they'll know the real."

The Carter was produced, of course, by Mannie Fresh, who somehow found time to make beats despite having a full schedule rigging tunes for his group with Baby, the Big Tymers, who will release their new album, Big Money Heavyweights, on October 21.

In addition to his own LP, Lil' Wayne has been busy with his own record label, Young Money Entertainment, which will run through Cash Money/Universal Records. The first group to be released in early 2004 is the group Squad Up, which includes Wayne. Other artists include New Orleans rapper Gutter Gutter and the R&B duo Real.

"When we started," said Wayne, "Baby told us at the time that what the East Coast is doing is fine, what the West Coast is doing is fine, but now we're gonna bring the South to it. And it blew up. It's blowing up."

• Lil Wayne
• Cash Money Millionaires

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

DMX's next film project, "Cradle 2 the Grave," now has a release date. According to a rep for the rapper, his co-starring turn with Jet Li should hit theaters February 28. Meanwhile, X is in talks to develop a cologne called Xcaliber, for which he's currently arranging distribution and licensing. ...

Lil' Wayne, Mannie Fresh, Ronald "Slim" Williams and Brian "Baby" Williams will hand out 2,000 turkeys and holiday dinners at the A.L. Davis Park in New Orleans on Monday. The Johnnie and Gladys Williams Foundation, named after Slim and Baby's parents, are sponsoring the fourth annual Cash Money Turkey Giveaway. ... Due in February, Shaggy's "Hope" and singer/songwriter Kevi's "Don't Talk to Strangers" are the latest in Hip Kid Hop's read and rap-a-long children's book series. LL Cool J and Doug E. Fresh contributed the first books, which are accompanied by CDs with original music. ...

Los Angeles' KROQ announced on Thursday (November 21) the lineup for its annual Almost Acoustic Christmas concerts, scheduled for December 7 and 8 at the Universal Amphitheater in Universal City, California. Audioslave, Disturbed, New Found Glory, P.O.D., Queens of the Stone Age, Sum 41, Zwan, Taproot, Trust Company and the Used will play the first night; Beck with the Flaming Lips, Coldplay, Creed, Dashboard Confessional, Good Charlotte, Jack Johnson, Jurassic 5, the Vines and Jimmy Fallon will perform on the second. ...

Bon Jovi are making hogs of themselves when it comes to pigskin performances. Following their set in Times Square that kicked off the season and the announcement that they'll be part of the Super Bowl halftime show in January, the NJ rockers will, along with Vanessa Carlton, perform in Detroit during halftime of the Thanksgiving Day game between the Lions and Patriots, which begins at 12:30 p.m. ET. ... February 25 will be a good day for Ice Cube fans. That's when the first four solo albums by the former N.W.A rapper turned "Friday" trilogy star get reissued with bonus tracks. While Amerikkka's Most Wanted (1990), Death Certificate (1991), The Predator (1992) and Lethal Injection (1993) get rejuvenated shelf life, "Ice Cube: The Video Collection," featuring Cube's first 15 videos, will become available on DVD format. ...

Former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr and his band the Healers, featuring Beatle son Zak Starkey and Kula Shaker's Alonso Beavan, will tour the States in support of the group's debut album, Boomslang, due February 4. Eleven dates, from January 15 (Hoboken, New Jersey) to February 3 (West Hollywood, California), are confirmed thus far, with additions to be announced shortly. ... Scottish rock band Idlewild have replaced bassist Bob Fairfoull with Gavin Fox, formerly of Turn, and touring guitarist Allan Stewart has been made a full-time member. The group recently finished an album, which is not yet titled or scheduled for release. ...

Aborym vocalist Attila Csihar, who used to howl for church-burning black metal band Mayhem, was recently arrested in Treviso, Italy, and charged with possession of 158 tablets of ecstasy and several grams of hash. In a statement on its Web site, the Italian band wrote that Csihar will go on trial in December, but regardless of the outcome, the band will continue. "Cross your fingers upside-down," said the band. "We will make you have news as soon as we get them." ... Chimaira will release their second album, tentatively titled The Impossibility of Reason, on April 15. Switched singer Ben Schigel will produce. ...

11.20.02

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty and Nappy Roots joined activists Wednesday (November 20) for the launch of Speak Up, a campaign against weapon-related school violence, sponsored by PAX, Atlantic Records and Teen People, among others. In support of the cause, Nappy Roots filmed a public service announcement and Matchbox Twenty will include a special insert about the campaign in their new album, More Than You Think You Are. ...

In the "takes-one-to-know-one" department, Marilyn Manson wrote in his online journal that fellow über-controversial artist Eminem was "rather delighted with the bits of my new album he was lucky enough to hear" when they encountered one another at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Barcelona last week. ... Slayer will release the DVD "War at the Warfield" on February 11. The disc, which was recorded at San Francisco venue the Warfield on December 7, 2001, features the band's former drummer Paul Bostaph, who dropped off the tour last December because of a chronic elbow injury, and has since joined Systematic. Bostaph was replaced on the road by the band's original drummer, Dave Lombardo, who will play on Slayer's next record. ...

Videos and live footage from New Found Glory, Something Corporate, Home Grown and others will be featured on a Drive-Thru Records DVD due December 17. The video will also feature the label's latest signing, Senses Fail. ... English rockers Supergrass will release their fourth album, Life on Other Planets, in February. Since the album has been available as an import since September 30, the American release will include either a bonus CD or DVD of a full concert of career-spanning material, said Supergrass' publicist. ...

Jordan Knight, who is currently recording his second solo album with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, will sell two new singles on his Web site (www.jordanknight.com) beginning December 2. The songs from the former New Kid on the Block are an acoustic cover of Force M.D.'s "Tender Love" and a club remake of Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting." ... If you're a punk with a penchant for Green Day, Skunk Ape Records wants you for its forthcoming tribute to the Bay Area punks. On the heels of its homage to Weezer, titled Making Noise and released in February 2001, the California indie label has issued a call to arms for all bands to submit Green Day covers to Skunk Ape Records, 8671 Emramada Avenue, Whittier, CA 90605, before January 31. For more information, visit www.skunkaperecords.com. ...

The University of Southern California dedicated an auditorium located in the school's theater complex to the late Frank Sinatra, according to the Associated Press. In support of the dedication, Sinatra's daughters, Nancy and Tina, will loan USC memorabilia including the actor's Congressional Gold Medal, Academy Awards, gold records and his signature fedora for public display through March. ... Coolio will connect with deceased relatives on "Crossing Over With John Edward on Thursday. Through Edward's readings, they will make contact with the rapper's late mother and other loved ones, reaffirming the crazy-coiffed MC's belief in the host's psychic abilities. ... Brian May, founding member of the rock group Queen and former astronomy graduate student, has received an honorary science doctorate from the University of Hertfordshire. May, who received the degree Tuesday at the university's campus north of London, said the honor "completes a great cycle in my life," according to the Associated Press. ...

• DMX
• Audioslave
• Cash Money Millionaires
• Good Charlotte
• Johnny Marr

• Cash Money Millionaires
• Lil Wayne
• Nelly

• Cash Money Millionaires

Miami After Hours: Kanye, Paris, Juvenile, Lil Jon, Jada, More

• Lil' Kim
• Kanye West
• Diddy
• Lil Jon
• Petey Pablo

Avril, Pink, Nelly, No Doubt, More On 2003 Grammy Red Carpet

• Nelly
• Kelly Rowland
• No Doubt
• Foo Fighters
• Avril Lavigne

• Cash Money Millionaires
• The Big Tymers
• Lil Wayne
• Nelly
• Fabolous

• Lil Wayne
• Cash Money Millionaires